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Adapting to Climate Change by Building Back Better in Disaster Recovery: Case Study of Rarotonga, Cook Islands

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Integrated Research on Disaster Risks

Part of the book series: Disaster Risk Reduction ((DRR))

Abstract

The world has witnessed increasing magnitudes and frequencies of disaster events, of which the exacerbation of weather-related events can certainly be attributed to the impacts of climate change. A large component of responding and adapting to climate change lies in attempts to successfully prepare for and recover from severe weather events such as hurricanes, storms and cyclones, and acclimate to gradual changes such as sea-level rise. The solutions to address these issues can be found in the intersection between climate adaptation practices as recommended by the UNFCCC Secretariat, and disaster risk reduction mandates set by the UNISDR Sendai Framework. This paper presents the concept of Building Back Better (BBB) as a fitting solution to adapt to climate change. BBB is a holistic concept that aims to build resilience in a community’s physical, social and economic environments, enhancing the ability to adapt to climate change impacts. A case study looking at the climate change challenges of coastal businesses on the island of Rarotonga, Cook Islands was conducted using the “BBB Framework” developed by Mannakkara and Wilkinson (2014) to identify best practices for climate adaptation. Findings were obtained through qualitative semi-structured interviews with coastal businesses and relevant Government authorities. The results showcased that framed under BBB, a combination of approaches is necessary to prepare for and respond to climate change impacts such as innovating and re-designing the built environment, re-thinking land-use, appropriate education, effective early warning and evacuation practices, community cohesion, social and business networks, adaptive business practices, collaboration and alignment between all stakeholders involved, appropriate legislation and long-term monitoring and evaluation. The findings advocate for policymakers to adopt BBB as an effective concept to guide climate adaptation practices.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Sandeeka Mannakkara

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  1. Sandeeka Mannakkara
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Correspondence to Sandeeka Mannakkara .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan

    Riyanti Djalante

  2. Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan

    Mizan B. F. Bisri

  3. Keio University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan

    Rajib Shaw

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Mannakkara, S. (2021). Adapting to Climate Change by Building Back Better in Disaster Recovery: Case Study of Rarotonga, Cook Islands. In: Djalante, R., Bisri, M.B.F., Shaw, R. (eds) Integrated Research on Disaster Risks. Disaster Risk Reduction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55563-4_17

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