Disaster risk reduction or climate change adaptation: Are we reinventing the wheel?

Abstract Disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies and strategies are well established within the international development community, being utilised at the grassroots level to address all forms of hazards. An exacerbation and increase in meteorological hazards has in part been attributed to climate change. Climate change also contributes to noticeable seasonal fluctuations that severely affect natural resource based livelihoods. In response, a need in development policy has been identified to address climate change at the community level by helping those most affected through ‘climate change adaptation’ (CCA) strategies. This paper explores the differences—or, rather, the similarities—between DRR and CCA through analysing climate‐related DRR in Papua New Guinea (PNG) within the context of wider development policies. Ways forward are identified for international development policy supporting all forms of risk reduction through integrating DRR and CCA strategies. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.