LONDON (AlertNet) - Getting messages -- and money -- to local communities will be crucial in reducing vulnerability to climate change-related disasters, said Margareta Wahlstrom, the top U.N. official for disaster risk reduction, who attended this week's climate summit in New York.
Q: What were the key messages from the talks in New York?
A: "That there needs to be less talk and more work and action. The ideas are there and they ' ve been tested. Now is the time to take action. "
Q: Is funding for adaption programs, including disaster risk reduction, taking shape?
A: "Donor governments say they will make sure sources of funding are there, though as you know no one has really nailed down the amount. But for sure there will be money by the end of the year. Gaps will remain (between need and what is available) but there will be money to get us started. And many countries are making substantive investments of their own."
Q: How quickly do these resources need to reach vulnerable countries?
A: "The countries that really need resources very quickly are the countries that are already most vulnerable -- small island states, the poorest countries, poor low - lying countries with coastlines. Obviously they need money immediately. Some of them need resources just to do a proper risk assessment to determine their priorities."
Q: How transferable to poorer vulnerable countries is the work already done by richer countries already?
A: "A lot of the learning is extremely transferable, and some of the technology can be used. But it 's not a blueprint. One thing that 's become clear in places like the Netherlands and is absolutely transferable is the necessity of getting the local population to understand the challenges, to engage and to support local government. Public knowledge about the problem is absolutely crucial in every country."
Q: What are the questions local people are asking, or need to ask, as they prepare for a potential increase in the risk of disasters?
A: The conversation needs to be about things like, "What do we not know? What can we do that won' t cost very much? What 's happening in one generation, in two?" Many of these questions don't have very clear answers but we do know enough that we know we need to take action."
Q: And what can local people contribute to the debate?
A: "Lots of local knowledge on climate extreme events. Many organizations now are figuring out how to take really good scientific data and combine it with social data, weather data and classical knowledge about how disasters impact people to help governments create risk and vulnerability profiles in their own countries."
Q: Are at-risk countries ready to effectively use the money that's coming?
A: "I think they're ready. But they also need to make their own investments, with a strong focus on building a greener economy through using alternative energy sources, ensuring jobs are created and helping governments make better choices for the long-term benefit of the country rather than making short-term choices."
Q: What are the risks if the most vulnerable countries do not get the help they need?
A: "When countries are left behind it decreases their ability to cooperate internationally on big global challenges and makes them politically vulnerable at home. These days people know what lifestyle they'd like to have and when that passes them by it's not a good foundation for a stable world."
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