Background

Dr Koko Warner is the Head of the Environmental Migration, Social Vulnerability and Adaptation Section at UNU-EHS. Warner is a Lead Author for IPCC´s 5th Assessment Report, Working Group 2 on Adaptation (chapter 20). Warner researches risk management strategies of the poor in adapting to changing environmental and climatic conditions. She directs three research tracks at UNU related to adaptation: the use of risk management and risk transfer measures, social resilience and environmental change, and environmentally induced migration.

Warner served on the management board of the EACH-FOR project, a first-time global survey of environmentally induced migration in 23 countries. She was Co-Chair of the German Marshall Fund project on Climate Change and Migration. She helped found and is on the Steering Committee of the Climate Change, Environment, and Migration Alliance (CCEMA) and works extensively in the context of the UNFCCC climate negotiations on adaptation (particularly in risk management and migration). She is co-chair of the German Marshall Fund Study Team on Climate Change and Migration, part of the FP7 Project “Climate Change, Hydro-conflicts and Human Resources” (CLICO), oversees the work of the Munich Re Foundation Chair on Social Vulnerability project at UNU-EHS, a network of seven endowed professors and a community of scholars working on related topics. Koko is the UNU focal point to the UNFCCC, focal point for climate adaptation and the Nairobi Work Programme. She is currently UNU focal point to the HLCP. She is a member of the UN´s Interagency Standing Committee, Task force on Climate Change, Migration and Displacement. 

Koko Warner studied development and environmental economics at George Washington University, and the University of Vienna where she received her PhD in economics as Fulbright Scholar. Previously she worked at IIASA, and the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). She has been published in Nature talks Climate Change, Scientific American, Climate Policy, Global Environmental Change, Disasters, Environmental Hazards, Natural Hazards, Population and Environment, The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance -  Issues and Practice, and other journals. She serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Global Warming.

Working Area at UNU-EHS

At UNU-EHS, Koko Warner is responsible for adaptation research related to environmentally induced migration and climate risk insurance. She heads the UNU-EHS Section on Environmental Migration, Social Vulnerability and Adaptation. Her research area encompasses the development of methodologies to identify and measure environmentally induced migration and coping capacity of societies, economies and the environment to hazards of natural origin. She is an executive board member of the Munich Climate Insurance Initiative (MCII) and directs its activities as a work activity based at UNU-EHS. She is a focal point for:

• Environmentally induced migration
• Climate risk insurance and financial coping mechanisms and climate change
• Social Vulnerability research and capacity development of PhDs in this area.

Warner advises graduate students (PhDs and masters students) working on their theses on social vulnerability and environmentally forced migration-related themes.

Projects

• Munich Re Foundation Chair on Social Vulnerability
• Munich Climate Insurance Initiative (MCII)
• CLICO

• German Marshall Fund

• CCEMA

• EACH-FOR

Publications (selection)

In press:

Renaud, F.G.; Dun, O.; Warner, K.; Bogardi, J.J. (2010): Deciphering the Importance of Environmental Factors in Human Migration. International Migration, special edition on Environmental Change, Social Vulnerability, and Forced Migration.

Hill, H.; Wiener, J.; Warner, K. (2010): From Fatalism to Resilience: Reducing Disaster Impacts With Systematic Investments. Disasters.

Fernando, N.; Birkmann, J.; Warner, K. (2009): Migration and natural hazards: is relocation a secondary disaster or an opportunity for vulnerability reduction? International Migration, special edition on Environmental Change, Social Vulnerability, and Forced Migration.

Published:

de Sherbinin, A.; Warner, K.; Erhart, C.; Adamo, S. (2010): Climate Change and Migration. Scientific American.

Warner, K. (2010): Economics and Social Vulnerability: Dynamics of Entitlement and Access.  In: Brauch, H. G.; Oswald Spring, U.; Mesjasz, C.; Grin, J.; Kameri-Mbote, P.; Chourou, B.; Dunay, P.; Birkmann, J. (Eds.): Coping with Global Environmental Change, Disasters and Security Threats, Challenges, Vulnerabilities and Risks. Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace, vol. 5 (Berlin Heidelberg New York: Springer-Verlag, 2010).

Warner, K.; Erhart, C.; de Sherbinin, A.; Adamo, S. B.; Onn, T. C. (2009): In search of Shelter: Mapping the effects of climate change on human migration and displacement. A policy paper prepared for the 2009 Climate Negotiations. Bonn, Germany: United Nations University, CARE, and CIESIN-Columbia University and in close collaboration with the European Commission "Environmental Change and Forced Migration Scenarios Project", the UNHCR, and the World Bank.

Warner, K.; Hamza, M.; Renaud, F. G.; Oliver-Smith, A.; Julca, A. (2009): Climate change, environmental degradation and migration. Guest editors: Thomas Glade, Carsten Felgentreff, Jörn Birkmann. Special Volume. Extreme Events, Vulnerability, Environment and Society. Natural Hazards (forthcoming). Published by Springer Netherlands. ISSN: 0921-030X (print), 1573-0840 (online). doi: 10.1007/s11069-009-9419-7.

Grote, U.; Warner, K. (2010): Environmental Change and Forced Migration: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa. International Journal of Global Warming. vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 17 - 47.

Linnerooth-Bayer, J.; Warner, K.; Bals, C.; Hoeppe, P.; Burton, I.; Loster, T.; Haas, A. (2009): Insurance, Developing Countries, and Climate Change. Special issue on Climate Change and its Economic Impact on Insurance. The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance – Issues and Practice (July 2009).

Stal, M.; Warner, K. (2009): The Way Forward. Researching the Environment and Migration Nexus. Research Brief based on the Outcomes of the 2nd Expert Workshop on Climate Change, Environment, and Migration. 23 - 24 July 2009, Munich, Germany. UNU-EHS. ISSN: 1816-5788. October 2009.

Warner, K.; Loster, T.; Zissener, M.; Kreft, S.; Linnerooth-Bayer, J.; Bals, C.; Hoeppe, P.; Gurenko, E.; Burton, I.; Haas, A. (2009): Vulnerable Countries and People: How Disaster Risk Reduction & Insurance Can Help Manage the Risks of Climate Change. UNU-EHS Policy Brief No. 2. October 2009.

Warner, K.; Ranger, N.; Surminksi, S.; Arnold, M.; Linnerooth-Bayer, J.; Michel-Kerjan, E.; Kovacs, P.; Herweijer, C. (2009): Adaptation to climate change: Linking disaster risk reduction and insurance. A policy paper prepared for the 2009 Climate Negotiations. Bonn, Germany. Produced in close collaboration with the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) and the United Nations University.

Warner, K.; Spiegel, A. (2009): Climate change and emerging markets: The role of the insurance industry in climate risk management. In: The Geneva Reports Risk and Insurance Research. www.genevaassociation.org. No. 2. The Insurance Industry and Climate Change—Contribution to the Global Debate. July 2009.

Warner, K.; Stal, M.; Dun, O.; Afifi, T. (2009): Researching Environmental Change and Migration: Evaluation of EACH-FOR Methodology and Application in 23 Case Studies Worldwide. In: Lazcko, F.; Aghazarm, C. (Eds.): Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Assessing the Evidence. IOM, Geneva. 

Bogardi, J.; Warner, K. (2008):  Here comes the flood. Nature. Nature reports Climate Change. Published online 11 December 2008. doi.10.1038/climate.2008.138.

Bohle, H.G.; Warner, K. (Eds.) (2008): Megacities: resilience and social vulnerability. SOURCE No. 8/2008. UNU-EHS, Bonn.

Galaz, V.; Moberg, F.; Downing, T.; Thomalla, F.; Warner, K. (2008): Ecosystems under pressure. A policy brief for the International Commission on Climate Change and Development. Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm Environment Institute, United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security. Stockholm, January 2008.

Warner, K.; Afifi, T.; Dun, O.; Stal, M.; Schmidl, S.; Bogardi, J. (2008): Human security, climate change, and environmentally induced migration. In: Climate Change: Addressing the Impact on Human Security. Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) and Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2007-2008 Greek chairmanship of the Human Security Network. Athens.

Warner, K.; Laczko, F. (2008): Migration, Environment and Development: New Directions for Research. International Migration and Development. Continuing the Dialogue: Legal and policy perspectives. Joseph Chamie and Luca Dall´Oglio (Eds). IOM and Center for Migration Studies. ISBN 1-57703-047-8. New York and Geneva. pp. 235-253.

Warner, K.; Laczko, F. (2008): A global research agenda. Climate change and displacement. Forced Migration Review. Issue 31, October 2008.

Warner, K.; Dun, O.; Stal, M. (2008): Field Observations and Empirical Research. Climate Change and Displacement. Forced Migration Review 31: 13-14.

Warner, K.; Laczko, F. (2008): A global research agenda. Climate Change and Displacement. Forced Migration Review 31: 59-60.

Bals, C.; Warner, K.; Butzengeiger, S. (2006): Insuring the Uninsurable: Design options for a climate change funding mechanism. Climate Policy, special journal edition. Gurekno, G. (Ed.). Vol. 6, No. 6, 2006. pp. 637–647.

Renaud, F.G.; Bogardi, J.J.; Warner, K.; Dun, O. (2007): Control, Adapt or Flee: How to Face Environmental Migration? InterSections No. 5/2007. UNU-EHS, Bonn.

Warner, K.; Bouwer, L.M.; Ammann, W. (2007): Financial services and disaster risk finance: Examples from the community level. Environmental Hazards. 12 pp. 10.1016/j.envhaz.2007.04.006 

Bouwer, L.; Warner, K.; Hoff, H. (2005): Risk management and climate change adaptation: can financial services help? Climatic Change. Special Issue on Dialogue on Water and Climate. 10 pp.

Hoff, H.; Warner, K.; Bouwer, L. (2005): The role of financial services in climate adaptation in developing countries. Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung. Special issue: The economic costs of climate change. 74 (2005), 2, pp. 196-207.