Disaster and Climate Risk Education: Insights from Knowledge to Action

Education serves as a cornerstone for gaining knowledge and taking initiative. However, despite efforts in disaster and climate risk education (DCRE), a gap often exists between awareness and meaningful action. To bridge this gap and promote a progression from awareness to empowerment, we offer the KIDA (Knowledge Interest Desire Action) framework. The foundation of this framework is a collaboration between schools, communities, and families, which calls for support from educational boards and local governments.

Following international tragedies like the Turkey-Syria earthquake of 2023, as well as the ever-changing difficulties posed by climate change, DCRE has to be given priority immediately. Our book proposes a comprehensive strategy that includes governance, capacity building, education in schools and the community, and technology integration. Our insights, analyses, and practical policy suggestions are based on multidisciplinary research and worldwide case studies, with the goal of strengthening resilience and cultivating a generation committed to sustainability. This book provides a comprehensive exploration of DCRE. It aims to prepare individuals and communities to face the challenges of a changing world head-on by improving knowledge and promoting preparedness.

Ayse Yildiz is an Assistant Professor in Risk at the School of Business at the University of Leicester, UK. An expert in climate and disaster risk, resilience and disaster preparedness, she is an affiliate of both the University of Leicester’s Institute for Environmental Futures and the Society of Risk Analysis. Ayse’s research focuses primarily on community-based disaster resilience, risk perception and child-centred disaster risk reduction. She engages with diverse audiences to promote awareness and understanding of disaster-related issues, including government agencies, local teams, schools and students of varied cultural and religious backgrounds. Ayse has convened seminars and workshops alongside representatives of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and regularly contributes expert opinion to post-disaster media coverage. 

Rajib Shaw is a professor in the Graduate School of Media and Governance at Keio University, Japan. He is also the senior fellow of the Institute of Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) Japan, and the chairperson of the Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS) Asia and the Church World Service (CWS) Japan, two Japanese NGOs. He is also a co-founder of a Delhi (India)- based social entrepreneur startup, the Resilience Innovation Knowledge Academy (RIKA). Earlier, he was the executive director of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) and was a professor at Kyoto University. His expertise includes disaster governance, community-based disaster risk management, climate change adaptation, urban risk management, and disaster and environmental education. Professor Shaw was the chair of the United Nations Science Technology Advisory Group (STAG) for disaster risk reduction and currently is the co-chair of the Asia Pacific Scientific and Technical Advisory Group (AP-STAG).