April 9, 2019 Accra
A leading global challenge today centers on the capacity to make appropriate decisions that will navigate countries and communities towards a safe, sustainable future. Uncertainty about future risk trends plays a central role in whether or not policy makers and practitioners can make decisions that help society adapt to climate risks and capture the opportunities ahead. Their decisions need to be informed by data assessments of future demographic change as it has a substantial influence on the future trajectories and patterns in exposure and vulnerability towards climate change hazards. This is especially true in highly dynamic developing countries and emerging economies. Likewise, changes for instance in social protection systems or insurance regimes will greatly influence future levels of vulnerability.
In spite of this pressing need, decision makers often do not get the full picture about future risk trends and adaptation pathways. This is in part because science that supports decision-making focuses primarily on modeling and projecting future trends in environmental hazards, such as sea level rise or cyclone activity and tends to neglect social and economic transitions and their effects on future exposure and vulnerability trends.
The “World Risk and Adaptation Futures – Demographic Change” Summer Academy 2019 is being jointly organized by United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), Munich Re Foundation (MRF) in collaboration with the UNFCCC. The Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (LMU) in Germany and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA), in Accra, Ghana are associate partners for the 2019 summer academy. Starting with the question “What do decision makers in policy and practice need to know about risk and adaptation futures?”, each partner contributes to the unique environment of the summer academy for generating science and knowledge contributions back into policy and practice.
The 2019 Summer Academy will take place in Accra, Ghana from 07 to 11 October. It will have a special focus on demographic change and its implication for future vulnerability and exposure towards climate risks. Young professionals, including academics, policy makers and practitioners are invited to apply by May 05, 2019.
More information, including on applications, course details and contact information, is available here.