Master of Arts / Master of Science in Disaster and Climate Risk Assessment for Sustainability (Self-Financed Programme)

Description

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Over the years, there has been a global increase in extreme climate events leading to large scale death, devastation and immense socio-economic losses. Anthropogenic activity has exacerbated the occurrence of newer forms of hazards. In such a context, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure safety of all its citizens, through good regulatory and governance frameworks that minimize risks. More than ever before, a robust and well-rounded risk assessment (RA) is required to serve as a fulcrum for decision making in public policy to enable global disaster preparedness and adaptation to changing climate.

Such risk diagnosis must take into account all dimensions of disaster and climate risk such as, hazard characteristics, hazard identification, exposure of persons and assets to such hazards, differential vulnerabilities and coping capacities of communities with a special focus on the most marginalized groups.

As nations around the world pursue modernist ideas of development driven by large-scale infrastructural creation, newer risks are produced while existing ones maybe amplified. Anthropogenic activity brings about the production of fresh hazards that can lead to disaster events which in turn can erode developmental gains in a matter of minutes. Further, as historical and emerging evidences suggest, there is a strong need to be grounded in the values of sustainability, disaster prevention, risk reduction, mitigation and vulnerability reduction in the contexts of climate change and increases in extreme weather events. An early pre-disaster intervention in the form of robust risk assessments will enable preparedness and set the world on the road to resilience building.

Risk as a conceptual register has transcended disciplinary boundaries to emerge as a complex and multifaceted variable of staggering importance that requires holistic inquiry beyond the limits of any single disciplinary knowledge system, especially in the context of disasters and climate change.

Risk informed approaches that increase capacities in risk diagnosis and enable risk identification and risk treatment will help reduce human suffering as well as other dimensions of losses. The UNDRR refers to such risk-informed perspectives as an “innovation curve” that take into account uncertainty and the diversities of populations living with differential risks. Such regenerative approaches that are aligned to the ethos or prevention and preparedness will enable better disaster response.

This programme will thus emphasize the need for disaster and climate risk assessments and such assessments will, in turn, enable a heightened sense of risk awareness that anchors the sustainability question.

The programme will underscore the idea that such risk-aware interventions create robust systems of risk management which in turn inform resilience building and strengthen adaptation measures. A deeper understanding of risk can thus address several of our pressing issues, from safeguarding ecosystems to reducing the onslaught and adverse impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable and marginalized of communities.

A holistic approach to managing disaster and climate risks that takes into account hazards, exposures, aggravating factors, potential damages to life and property is thus needed. The programme will develop capacities in this domain.

Programme Objectives

• Building knowledge, skills, competencies and capacities among the participants to solve real risk problems and issues related to risk assessment.
• Developing the ability for critical reflection on causative factors that generate risks, how they are perceived differently by diverse constituencies and how they are communicated or under-played.
• Learning to use tools used in risk analysis, to understand, describe and evaluate risk
• Enabling a cross-disciplinary knowledge transfer of risk knowledge
• Encouraging creativity and innovation in the field among participants by solving real life problems during the programme

Programme Outcomes

• The programme will hone new talent and create a brand of professionals committed to disaster risk reduction and minimising impacts of climate change with a commitment to social and environmental justice
• The programme will demonstrate the ability to apply risk assessment methodologies to real-world challenges by identifying, analysing, and proposing solutions to mitigate risks across sectors.
• Graduates will develop the capacity to critically analyze the socio-cultural, economic, and environmental factors that influence risk perception and management, recognizing the diverse ways risks are understood and communicated.
• Learners will acquire technical skills in using quantitative and qualitative tools for risk evaluation, including statistical models, software, and frameworks essential for comprehensive risk assessments.
• Learners will be able to transfer and adapt risk knowledge across different disciplines, demonstrating a capacity to collaborate with professionals from diverse fields to address complex risk-related problems.
• Learners will show creativity and innovation by generating novel solutions to real-world risk challenges, demonstrating a capacity for critical thinking, adaptability, and leadership in risk assessment practices.

Distribution of Credit Hours:

Semesterwise Courses:

Note:The curriculum structure is tentative and subject to change.

Fee Structure:

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