Story of the Month – Learning about Nature-based Solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation on International Day for Disaster Risk

On the International Day of Disaster Risk Reduction, 13th of October, 2020 the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR), with the support from the European Union, launches two new educational products to increase capacity on Nature-based Solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation.

How do we address the climate emergency and the increasing risk of disasters in a holistic way while improving the health and well-being of people and the planet?

This is the main question answered in the new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), called Nature-Based Solutions for Disaster and Climate Resilience. Nature-based Solutions are coming to the fore on the world stage as a cost-effective solution to many of the problems facing humanity today. But the question of how to implement them is often asked. This free online course will help policymakers, engineers, business owners, youth, practitioners, and anyone else keen to learn more about how they can contribute to strengthening Nature’s solutions to reducing climate and disaster impacts. This course will be translated in 7 languages and participants will receive a certificate upon completion. Sign up here: pedrr.org/MOOC/

Filming the lecture videos for the MOOC on Nature-based Solutions for Disaster and Climate Resilience in France, September 2020. © UNEP/Karen Sudmeier

A more in-depth and practical product on how to increase resilience to climate and disaster risk has also been developed by PEDRR: the first ever Words into Action on Nature-based Solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction, as part of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction’s technical guidance series. This document is intended specifically for stakeholders who want to understand how they can apply Nature-based Solutions in their country’s disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategy, development policies or other DRR plans. On the 13th of October, this product is launched for public review to allow for stakeholders to provide feedback and will remain open for three months.

Please join us in launching these two milestone products on International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction: 13 October 2020 from 10-11.30 CET. We will hear from a government representative, a youth leader, a civil society representative, the European Investment Bank, and UN agencies on how Nature-based solutions for disaster and climate resilience are important to them and how you can get involved.

Click here to see the webinar recording