Determinants Of Household Decisions On Adaptation To Extreme Climate Events in Southeast Asia

In Asia and the Pacific more people are affected by floods, droughts, and storms than in any other part of the world. This problem is set to get worse as the impact of climate change becomes more pronounced and extreme weather events become more frequent. To try and assess how best to help people respond to this challenge, this study looks at how households in a range of Southeast Asian countries have adapted and responded to extreme climate events. It also assesses the factors that influence their behaviour. This study finds that most households rely on reactive measures (such as evacuating their homes), while richer households use more proactive measures (such as building dykes) to respond to storms, floods and other extreme weather events. As proactive adaptation measures are generally more effective at reducing the damage caused by extreme climate events, especially in the longer term, there is a need to promote such measures. The study suggest various potential strategies to do this, including improving information provision and promoting collective action.