An online course aimed at developing skills in conducting climate risk assessments has been launched on the regional climate information platform CACIP. The training is divided into 13 modules that lead the user from basic terminology and scoping to analysis, evaluation, and adaptation planning, with the possibility of receiving a certificate upon successful completion. To access the course, click here.
Climate Risk Assessment (CRA) is the analysis of potential negative impacts of climate change on people, the economy, and the environment. The approaches proposed in the course are fully integrated with the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), where the focus has shifted to dynamic risk. This means that the assessment does not simply evaluate “how vulnerable we are,” but “how risk factors will change in the future.” This includes the creation of so-called “impact chains,” which are conceptual models reflecting key risks and their causes for a specific context.
As a reminder, within the framework of the “Climate Risk Management in Central Asia” programme, a CRA study was conducted for five selected river basins. The results formed the basis for real adaptation measures in each country across various requests, which have been under implementation since 2025.
How was the CRA conducted in the programme?
In its essence, the CRA can be seen as a continuation of the national Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) for the five Central Asian countries, developed under the World Bank’s CAMP4ASB programme in 2020-21. The CRVAs were developed based on GIZ’s original vulnerability source document, the predecessor to the GIZ Climate Risk Sourcebook (2023).
The advantage of the CRVA is that a single, harmonized methodology was developed and implemented for all countries, and the CRVAs were formally approved as national documents. While the CRVAs focused on assessing vulnerability at the national level, the CRA in our programme focused on risks and ways to reduce them through adaptation at the local level for five selected basins. In a sense, it goes further by including engagement with local stakeholders and participatory adaptation, with increased attention to vulnerable groups and gender issues.