Appraising slow onset hazards for loss and damage: Case studies in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Slow onset processes were investigated in five pilot areas in Southeast Asia, i.e., Kampong Speu Province (Cambodia), Selangor State (Malaysia), Thatdama Kyun Village (Myanmar), Kanan Watershed (Philippines), and Quang Ngai Province (Vietnam). Pilot areas with low-lying coasts are exposed to floods, saline intrusion and sea-level rise while some are also affected by storms and typhoons. Floodplains are exposed to floods and river bank erosion while highlands are affected by flash floods, mudslides, landslides and forest degradation. Dry conditions and high temperatures are not confined to a specific geomorphological setting. The assessment of L+D is a challenge as many impacts are not directly attributed to anthropogenic climate change. However, where science has clearly linked global warming and sea-level rise to anthropogenic causes, and human influence in a particular area is minimal, L+D assessments are relevant to policy platforms such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The land use planning system is a potential entry point for integrating DRR, CCA and L+D. Climate change adaptation, Climate hazards, Disaster risk reduction, Loss and damage, Slow onset hazards, Southeast Asia