Linking climate and early warning information with resilience: insights from Myanmar

The Rapid Response Research (RRR) project seeks to gather information on households’ perceptions of climate change and its links to resilience. Under the wider Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED) programme, a series of mobile phone surveys were conducted in Hpa-An township, eastern Myanmar. This report lays down early findings from the RRR, focusing on access and response to climate information and early warning of extreme events. For more information of the RRR see the interactive website: The Resilience Dashboard.

The RRR has provided four key insights related to access and use of climate information:

• Evidence from the RRR survey in Hpa-An confirms the vital role access to climate information plays in enhancing resilience. Access to climate information is associated with higher levels of resilience (when measured using people’s own perceptions of risk).
• To enhance resilience, climate information needs to be communicated in a targeted manner, with specific communication products designed to reach the most vulnerable. Less educated and poorer households tend to have lower access to climate information. They are also more concerned about the future impacts of climate change.
• Awareness of change in climate is not enough to trigger adaptation actions. Very few households in Hpa-An report adaptation actions, despite widespread acceptance of changes in the climate.
• Further training and support for positive adaptation measures should follow awareness-raising on climate change to ensure populations at risk are taking action to adapt.