Integrated Disaster Management and

Climate Change Adaptation

Ming Wang
Associate Professor and Director
Institute of Integrated Risk Management
Beijing Normal University
 Overview of Natural Disasters in China

Flood
Drought
Windstorm
Hail
Dust Storm
Typhoon
Low Temperature
and Freeze
Multiple natural hazards;
High frequency; Snow
Significant regional Earthquake
differentiation and seasonal Landslide
characteristic; Debris Flow
Severe disaster losses. 
Distribution of Major Disasters (1900‐2000)
Occurrence of Disasters ‐ Flood
Occurrence of Disasters ‐ Earthquake
Occurrence of Disasters ‐ Typhoon
 3
海冰资源量（亿m ）

0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Temperature (oC)
1987-1988
1988-1989
1989-1990
1990-1991
1991-1992
1992-1993
1993-1994
1994-1995
1995-1996
1996-1997
1997-1998

时间
1998-1999
1999-2000
2000-2001
海冰资源量平均值
海冰资源量最大值

2001-2002
2002-2003
2003-2004
2004-2005
2005-2006
2006-2007
Extreme Events are Increasing

2007-2008
2008-2009
2010
 Lessons Learnt from 2008 Disasters in China

Earth system becomes
more unstable!

How do we deal with 
extreme events?
 2008 South China Snow Storm and Freezing Rain

Temperature decreased
10-20 in the middle
and downstream of
Yangtze River

Dramatic Temperature Decrease from Jan.10 to Feb.2

2008 South China Snow Storm and Freezing Rain

10-12 days longer

than mean annual
snowing days
Severe Impact to Infrastructure
Analysis of Hazard – Max. Continuous Freezing days

Top 1
8

7
冰冻日数 常年值
最大连续冰冻日数（天）

0
1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008
年

The annual continuous freezing days along the middle stream and 
downstream of Yangtze River (including Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi Anhui, 
Shanghai, Jiangsu provinces) and Guizhou 
Note:data for year 2007­2008 is from Dec,1 2007 to Feb.2, 2008
 Analysis of Hazard – Daily Max. Temperature

14 平均最高气温 平均最高气温常年值
平均最低气温 平均最低气温常年值 Lowest Max
12 Temperature
10

8
气温（℃）

-2

-4
1951 1956 1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006
年

The mean average and maximum daily temperature of the middle anddownstream of 
Yangtze River (including Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi Anhui, Shanghai, Jiangsu provinces) 
and Guizhou 
Note:data range Jan.10 ~Feb.1
Transformation-railway transportation
 Chain Reaction in Catastrophic Disaster

 Severe weather – extremely low temperature, large snow and freezing rain, 
historically long during of continuous freezing days (natural disaster) →

 Power failure, water shortage, transportation shut‐down (Infrastructure damage) 
→

 Railway station and airport congestion, passenger accumulation  (social issue 
and public safety) →

 Destruction of  living environment – drinking water polluted (public health 
issue).
Interaction of multi factors in the disaster system

Low- Temper at ur e, Sl eet , Snow;

I nver si on l ayer and quasi - st at i onar y
f r ont ;

Mount ai n and Pl at eau; Low ur bani zat i on r at i o;

Low wi nd speed Hi gh pr opor t i on of
and hi gh humi di t y agr i cul t ur e;
I nf r ast r uct ur e
Vul ner abl e
 Wenchuan Earthquake Disaster Chains

Heavy Rain

Rock Collapse Landslides Debris Flow Barrier lakes

Earthquake
General Earthquake disaster 
chain 
Components of Integrated Disaster Management
Toward an Integrated Disaster Management

 Establish integrated disaster reduction strategy
 Strengthen establishment of government 
institutions
 Enhance development of policy and mechanism
 Enhance education and scientific/technological 
support to disaster reduction
 Strengthen capacity building for disaster relief and 
emergency response
 Combined with integrated risk governance
Integrated Disaster Management System of China
Integrated Disaster Reduction Strategy

National Development and Reform Commission

Office of Emergency Response,
State Council

China Insurance Regulatory Commission ?
Ministry of Finance ?

Ministry of Civil Affairs
Experimentation of government-supported
disaster insurance – Agriculture Insurance
>10%
(2)
(1) Insurer at  Government at 
Farmers
<30% county level county level

(5)35% 25%
(4)
Insurer at  Provincial 
province level government
(3) 35%
Step(1): Farmers’ payment
Central 
Step(2): Local government subsidy
government
Step(3): Central government subsidy
Step(4): Provincial government subsidy
Step(5): Reserve 25% of premium
Crops and livestock loss v.s. Insured Amount

240billion
end of 2008

< 30billion  
(before2007)
Risk-sharing Mechanism of Catastrophic Disaster –
Proposed Mode
Size of
Governments/Global
Loss Reinsurance/ Global
Capital Market

Central and Local

Governments/
Insurers

Central and Local

Governments

Community and
Local Governments

Minor Medium Large Catastrophic Events

Regionalization of Natural Disaster in China
Regionalization of Agriculture Natural Disaster in China
Regionalization of Natural Disaster in Urban Areas
Regionalization of Disaster Relief in China

15个区域
Data and Information Platform
Integrated Risk Governance
Fundamental Theory - Entry- and Exit-Transitions
 Governance
and Paradigm
Thank you!

Ming Wang
wangming@ires.cn
Beijing Normal University