Opportunities and Challenges of Incorporating Climate Change Threats into Disaster Risk Management Planning: A Case Study in Costa Rica

Disaster losses due to climate and weather related events are increasing worldwide. Risk associated with climate and weather related events will be exacerbated by climate change in the coming decades. The high frequency of climate and weather related disasters intensifies vulnerability in developing countries. Costa Rica has recently approved the national policy instruments (Act 8488, PNGR 2010-2015, and ENCC) and incorporated the context of climate change threats into DRM planning. This paper discusses challenges and opportunities for incorporating climate change threats into DRM planning at the national level. A "checklist," developed by the authorities of Latin American and Caribbean countries, is applied as a case study in Costa Rica. Results of the study indicate that the national policy instruments did provide an opportunity for incorporating climate change threats into DRM planning, especially within the context of risk identification, monitoring, and evaluation. However, several gaps are also identified when doing so in practice.