Climate change: an emergency management perspective

Robert O. Schneider
Department of Public Administration,
University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Pembroke, North Carolina, USA

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to suggest the utility of an emergency management
perspective as a guide for policy makers as they respond to the challenges of global climate change.
Design/methodology/approach – This analytical paper begins with a review of scientific
literature in an effort to highlight the consensus about risks and vulnerabilities associated with climate
change or global warming. Applying the terminology and techniques of natural disaster planning,
preparedness, response, and mitigation to climate change, an emergency management perspective is
articulated as a viable framework for policy development.
Findings – Based on the evidence of a growing consensus in the scientific assessment of climate
change, and the need for policy interventions to address the risks and vulnerabilities associated with it,
the need for a unifying perspective for policymakers at all levels is apparent. An emergency
management perspective is offered herein and holds the potential to provide a foundation for meeting
that need.
Research limitations/implications – An emergency management perspective for global climate
change highlights the linkages between the challenges it poses and natural disaster preparedness in
general. This may enable policy analysts to draw on the natural hazards literature and techniques as a
guide for planning and policy development.
Practical implications – The effort to create a consensus of approach that will enable policy
makers to speak the same language, participate in the same analysis, contribute to the same dialogue,
and pursue the same goals may be advanced by this discussion.
Originality/value – An emergency management perspective on climate change may offer the
potential for developing the least problematic model for policy makers to incorporate as they seek to
make their efforts more consistent and more responsible in the face of a global challenge.
Keywords Climatology, Global warming, Natural disasters, Risk management
Paper type Conceptual paper