What’s geographical names got to do with Climate Action?

The global community has become familiar with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, or Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the Member States of the United Nations in 2015, as the overarching blueprint to achieve a more sustainable future for all, and to address global challenges.Every one of us are cognizant that time is running out in meeting all the 17 SDGs by 2030.Paris, Addis Ababa and Sendai -all these geographical names are associated with particular conferences, actions or frameworks that United Nations encouraging Member States to move forward with the global agenda and toponyms such as Paris and Sendai evokes emotion for many, as they are related to action for Climate Action (SDG 13) and disaster risk prevention for Sustainable Cities and communities (SDG 11).The paper proposes the role of toponyms serving as one foundational ingredient for emergency management and disaster response at the local scale.Geographical names constitute a foundational data that underpins a nation's geospatial information management in implementing the SDGs and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.In the case of Japan, a disaster-prone country, toponyms can be seen as indicators of past evidence of natural disasters or topographic features which may have been overlooked.It will present examples of geographical locations which faced with natural disasters recently, and illustrate the linkages of natural features, its geographical names and the historical evidence which hint the importance of toponyms as important historical and cultural indicators for transferring awareness but also facilitate the preparedness for future generations to combat Climate Action.