Executive Summary
Early warning systems (EWS) are essential tools when disaster strikes, providing crucial alerts that help communities prepare for and respond to extreme weather events and environmental hazards. As climate change intensifies the frequency and severity of these events, the role of EWS and effective risk communication becomes even more critical. These systems offer a proactive approach to disaster risk reduction, enabling timely actions that can significantly mitigate loss of life and economic damage.
To maximise their impact, risk communications must be inclusive – accessible, comprehensible and actionable to all. This is underlined by Early Warnings for All (EW4All),1 a United Nations initiative that aims to ensure every individual on the planet is covered by an EWS by 2027. Special attention to the inclusion of marginalised populations, which are often more vulnerable to climate risks and excluded from risk communications and emergency alerts, will be essential to this endeavour.
Given the critical nature of EWS, this research focuses on how mobile-enabled risk communications about weather hazards can be more inclusive. As mobile technology becomes increasingly ubiquitous, there are significant opportunities to disseminate lifesaving information to communities on even the most basic mobile devices. However, barriers to mobile technology and the opportunities they provide persist, particularly for marginalised communities.
Using South Africa, a country frequently confronted with severe weather challenges exacerbated by climate change, as a case study, the research uses a human-centred design (HCD) approach to assess the accessibility and effectiveness of current mobile risk communication methods among marginalised populations, such as older people, migrants, residents of informal settlements, youth or those recently affected by a disaster. Co-creation workshops were also conducted to explore ways to make risk communications more inclusive.
The research revealed disparities in access to technology, largely due to financial barriers, that affect the reach of risk communications. It also found that marginalised populations, including older people, migrants and residents of informal settlements, often rely on interpersonal networks and word of mouth for information about weather hazards. Youth are more digitally connected and can serve as digital connectors within their communities, providing a gateway to timely information. The study also revealed that trust in the communication channel and information source influences the extent to which one engages with and responds to risk communications. When the same information is shared through multiple channels, this trust can be reinforced. Additionally, “weather literacy” and unique barriers, such as language for migrants and visual impairments for older people, can make it more difficult to understand risk communications. The degree to which marginalised groups take action on weather information is influenced by a combination of financial resources, location-based factors and awareness of risk.