HSI Report: Climate andDisaster Challenges in the Era ofCOVID-19
University News | July 29, 2021

sogane/Shutterstock“We are witnessing a unique, global-scale disaster which has caught usmostly unprepared,” said Associate Professor Akhilesh Surjan fromCharles Darwin University, Australia, pointing to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic. “While the pandemic impacts global society, there arevarious other disasters such as floods or earthquakes which are also
creating chaos in different parts of the world.” Indeed, COVID-19 is
only an addition, albeit a great one, to an existing issue: increasing andintensifying natural hazards often associated with climate change.
“Imagine how challenging it is to face another disaster while alreadystruggling with the pandemic,” exhorted Professor Surjan.
The Hokkaido Summer Institute (HSI) 2021 course “Climate andDisaster Challenges in the Era of COVID-19” took place online on 5th7th July to discuss the pressing global challenges and their impacts on

communities. With Professor Surjan as a guest lecturer, eight graduate
students from China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and South Africa
participated.

Participants and instructors of the Hokkaido Summer Institute (HSI) 2021
course, Climate and Disaster Challenges in the Era of COVID-19, held online on 5th7th July.

Assistant Professor Ram Avtar from Hokkaido University’s Faculty ofEnvironmental Earth Science, who organized the program, said, “Thiscourse is unique in that it focuses on the application of theories to realworld problems — climate change and disaster prevention. I am excited
to invite Professor Surjan, a leading global expert in disaster risk
reduction, to discuss this challenging topic. I hope that, through thisintensive program, the participants will learn from practical examples
which can be contextualized to suit local circumstances of developing
and developed countries alike.”

The organizer of the program, Assistant Professor Ram Avtar of Hokkaido University’s
Faculty of Environmental Earth Science

The program started by overviewing various disasters occurring
globally: examples included a flash flood in Indonesia, a volcanic
eruption in the Philippines, and a more recent building collapse in theUSA. Professor Surjan then introduced analytical approaches tounderstand the implications of statistical data and the underlying
causes of the damages.
The following lecture focused on risks and resilience in an urbancontext. Rapid urbanization in the 21st century has increased various
urban risks, ranging from road accidents, dependence on electricity, toair pollution. “Most cities are located in river deltas, coastal areas, orseismic zones, making them more vulnerable. However, urban risks
often involve numerous factors that we, as human society, caninfluence. So, while we might not be able to prevent an earthquake orflood, we can prevent them from becoming disasters,” said Professor
Surjan.The guest lecturer, Associate Professor Akhilesh Surjan of the Charles Darwin
University, Australia

The second day of the program included a case study of cycloneMarcus, which hit Darwin, Australia, in March 2018, inflicting widescale damage to the city. Professor Surjan first gave a meteorologicaloverview of tropical cyclones and then shared his personal experienceof the cyclone Marcus. Also discussed was the involvement of humanactivities in secondary disasters, such as unsuitable planting resulting
in massive numbers of fallen trees. “The post-Marcus chaos was a real
wake-up call for citizens, but there are lessons yet to be learned,” said
Professor Surjan.
Another case study introduced unique practices and grassroots
innovations to minimize negative impacts of future disasters. Examples
included the Heat Action Plan in India to raise public awareness andgive early warnings of heatwaves, as well as the Room for theRiver program in the Netherlands, a set of countermeasures against
the rising sea levels. “Better policies can save lives. We should learn
persistently from the past and from each other,” said Professor Surjan.

The great flood in Thailand, 2019. narongpon chaibot/Shutterstock

On the final day, returning to the issue of the current COVID-19
situation, Professor Surjan discussed social, economic, and politicalaspects of the pandemic in an effort to frame a holistic view of theongoing disaster. In particular, he addressed the difference from thepast pandemics; the rapid spread of the disease, the availability ofdigital technologies, and the amount of information communicated. He
also highlighted the enormous impact of social media in disseminating
both accurate and inaccurate information. “After a year and half ofimmediate reactions and confusion, it is now important to adopt abalanced approach and intensify sustainable measures to cope with thevirus,” he underlined.
To conclude the three-day course, participants discussed major
challenges faced in various countries including their respective homecountries. Professor Surjan encouraged the participants, “You areprivileged to receive higher education in these difficult times, thus,
each of you has a role to play in finding appropriate solutions toongoing global challenges for helping current and future generations.”He also highlighted the need to build resilience through social capitaland provided remarkable experiences of Japan’s neighborhood
community associations, known as Jichikai/Chonaikai.
Stephan Louw from South Africa, one of the program participants anda student at Hokkaido University’s Graduate School of Environmental
Science, commented, “I found the course quite insightful, to learn
about the compounding effect of different disasters. It is something I
hadn’t thought about before. People’s livelihoods and also government
resources are under big strain because of the pandemic, but still, theyneed to deal with other disasters like typhoons and droughts! I hope, in
my research about low-cost precision agriculture, I will be able tocontribute methods to help struggling farmers in similar futurescenarios.”
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https://hokkaidosummerinstitute.oia.hokudai.ac.jp/E-Notices/
Written by Naoki Namba