Special edition of GV-Executive presents solutions to tackle climate disasters
The climate emergency is affecting societies and natural systems on all continents, without exception. Extreme events such as heat waves, droughts, floods and cyclones have caused damage to infrastructure, disruption to basic services, deaths and irreparable harm. With this in mind, Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Sao Paulo School of Business Administration (FGV EAESP) has just released a special edition of GV-Executive, which seeks to promote dialogue in this area and contribute to dealing with situations such as the recent floods in southern Brazil.
The journal takes an in-depth look at issues involved in climate adaptation, breaking down developments over the last few decades, the challenges for public policies and the private sector, and different ways to tackle climate change and extreme weather events.
The special edition, guest edited by Mario Monzoni and Mariana Xavier Nicoletti of the FGV Center for Sustainability Studies (FGVces), presents different perspectives on climate adaptation. It begins by highlighting the importance of integrated prevention strategies, contingency plans and the strengthening of adaptive capacities. After that, it presents an indicator that may help local governments improve the adaptive capacity of cities. It also shares research results indicating the importance of strengthening the actions of civil defense agencies, in coordination with different stakeholders, particularly affected communities. Finally, two articles demonstrate how companies can gain resilience and contribute to society when it comes to climate adaptation issues.
Adriana Wilner, co-editor-in-chief of GV-Executive, highlights the contribution of this edition, which suggests ways for managers of public, private and civil society organizations to strengthen climate resilience in Brazil.
“Until recently, there was barely any talk of measures to adapt to climate change, but the rapid growth in incidents has shown that it is no longer possible to sweep things under the rug anymore. The tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul underscores the urgent need to expand the adaptive capacity of cities. Brazil had already broken its record for climate disasters in 2023, which was marked by unprecedented temperatures. According to the National Center for Natural Disasters (Cenaden), there were 1,161 extreme weather events, or more than three a day on average,” she says.
One-off, short-term measures are usually prioritized, but the situation in Rio Grande do Sul shows how precarious this approach is. Accordingly, the articles in this special issue present some recommendations, including the following:
- Establish a systemic and interconnected approach, linking different levels of government, academia, companies, civil society organizations and public participation, encompassing short, medium and long-term measures.
- Ensure that decision makers in government bodies have responsibilities related to adaptation and develop capacities in federal, state and municipal governments. Also implement arrangements and mechanisms to expand the business community’s involvement in this agenda.
- Promote the adoption of indicators by municipal managers, such as the Urban Adaptation Index, which involves a set of five dimensions (Housing, Urban Mobility, Local Food Production, Environmental Management and Climate Risk Management).
- Tackle barriers such as disconnections between sector policies, poorly defined responsibilities and priorities in government proposals, a bureaucratic perspective that delays formal procedures, conflicts between different jurisdictions, the predominance of a utilitarian political perspective influenced by political trends and interests that are still hostile to environmental and climate issues, the actions of pressure groups that lobby for certain private sector interests to the detriment of the public interest, and insufficient oversight.
- Expand the role of civil defense agencies, making them strategic bodies in risk management, monitoring and distributing responsibilities between different government entities and focusing on action that combines risk anticipation with the coordination of emergency actions.
- Expand community protection and civil defense centers, formed through a partnership between society and civil defense agencies, making community groups the focal point for consolidating preventive and emergency measures. The population should be offered courses, training, equipment and information, in appropriate language and formats, regarding possible risks, how to act to prevent them, how to recognize an impending disaster, what to do if one occurs and how to access public services in such situations.
About the journal
GV-Executive is a generalist academic journal aimed at managers, professors, students and researchers in management and related areas. Its primary goal is for its articles to serve as educational materials for use in professional graduate programs.
As a journal composed of technology-driven articles, we welcome submissions that present new knowledge to solve complex challenges in contemporary management, emphasize the applicability and replicability of this knowledge, and foster transformations in organizations.
All the content is available free of charge on the journal’s website. See the full edition here.
Donation campaign for Rio Grande do Sul
Fundação Getulio Vargas is receiving donations for the victims of the recent heavy rains in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. Our collection centers will be open daily (except on Sundays and public holidays), from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
All the material collected will be sent to Rio Grande do Sul’s civil defense and welfare agencies.
To find out what can be donated and the collection points, click here.
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