Climate Adaptation and Flood Risk

Increasing global temperatures are causing changes in precipitation patterns and sea level rise which, in turns leads to an increase in the frequency and intensity of flooding events. Global economic losses due to floods have been estimated to be around 651 billion USD. These losses are projected to increase with the rapid urbanization in low-lying areas coupled with aging infrastructure for flood control. Despite these losses, there is evidence supporting the lack of adaptive responses from all levels of society (i.e., lack in investments in flood protection measures, lack of insurance take-up, etc.). In this project, we examine household-level adaptation towards flood risk.