The Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA) Coastal Risk Index (CRI) is a ground-breaking modelling tool that equips policymakers, financial institutions, investors, insurers, and infrastructure project managers with unparalleled insights into ocean risks and the critical role of Nature-based Solutions in building cost-effective coastal resilience. During the Sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16), Cali, Colombia, ICRI partner ORRAA rolled out the new data platform for the CRI, which highlights that USD$363 billion of coastal assets and 14.2 million people would be at risk of flooding without mangroves and coral reefs.
The CRI provides the foundation for better understanding coastal risks, enabling more informed decisions about building resilience in coastal communities. It goes beyond physical flood risk and economics to include social drivers and incorporate the crucial role of nature.
The CRI is an open-source platform providing a detailed set of global flood maps, using hydrodynamic models, to understand current and future coastal flood risk and the flood reduction benefits of natural habitats. Social vulnerability data highlights where reefs and mangroves are critical to reducing risk for climate vulnerable coastal communities.
The CRI is designed to inform financial institutions, insurers, policymakers, and other decision-makers about climate risks and resilience strategies for coastal areas. This platform enables communities to be more resilient while protecting and restoring nature.
With financial support from the United States Department of State, the CRI’s initial platform and maps were launched in September 2023 by ORRAA in partnership with IHE Delft, and the University of California Santa Cruz to maximise its potential as a tool for local resilience practitioners and risk industry stakeholders. The CRI has also been financially backed by AXA, the Government of Canada, and the UK’s Blue Planet Fund. Explore the CRI here.
Sources: ORRAA and Coastal Risk Index
