Presentation to JSC-WCRPAntalya, Turkey

Feb 2010

Gordon A. McBean, CM, PhD, FRSCChair, Science Committee – Integrated Research on

Disaster Risk - IRDRInstitute for Catastrophic Loss ReductionUniversity of Western Ontario, Canada

TAKING AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO

DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

InternationalSocial Sciences

Council

HAZARD: potentially damaging physical event, phenomenon

or human activity that MAY cause the loss of life or injury, property damage, social and economic disruption

or environmental degradation.” VULNERABILITY: conditions determined by physical, social, economic, and environmental factors or processes, which increase

the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazards. Disasters result

when there is the intersection of a

hazard and avulnerability

Research on bothhazards and

vulnerabilities

A natural disaster – “serious disruption of the

functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental

losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community

or society to cope using its own resources.”

Latest disaster statisticsTop 10 - 2009

Table 1.1: Disasters with more than 10,000 fatalities, January 1975 – June 2008 4(Highlighting denotes disasters within the five-year period, 2003–2008.) EMDAT; Analysis by ISDR, 2008

Mega-Disasters – > 10,000 fatalities2003-2008

Climate related

Table 1.2 Disasters leading to losses of more than US$ 10 billion, January 1975 – June 2008(Highlighting denotes disasters within the five-year period, 2003–2008.) Source: EMDAT; Analysis by ISDR

Mega-Disasters – > $US 10 B in losses2003-2008

Climate related

Typhoon Morakot – August 2009

“Over the last two decades (1988-2007), 76% of all disaster events were hydrological, meteorological or

climatological in nature; these accounted for 45% of the deaths and

79% of the economic losses caused by natural hazards.”

M. Wahlström, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction

“The real tragedy is that many ofthese deaths can be avoided.”

How can science – IRDR-WCRP - play a role in reducing those deaths?

Integrated Research on Disaster RiskAddressing the challenge of natural and human-induced environmental hazards (IRDR)An integrated approach to research on disaster risk through: an international, multidisciplinary (natural, health, engineering and social sciences, including socio-economic analysis) collaborative research programme. - Sept/2008

Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR)

Research focus

Prevention• Mitigation - actions taken before or after a hazard event to reduce impacts on people and

property

• Preparedness - policies and procedures designed to facilitate an effective

response to a hazard event

MitigationRecovery

ResponsePreparedness

•Hazards – floods, storms, droughttemperature extremes•Prediction, characteristics, …

Integrated Research on Disaster Risk

• Scope

• Geophysical, climate and weather-related trigger events

• Earthquakes – tsunamis – volcanoes – floods – storms (hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons) – heat waves – droughts – wild-fires – landslides – coastal erosion – climate change (increases of extreme events)

• Effects of human activities on creating or enhancing disasters, including land-use practices

• Space weather and impact by near-Earth objects• NOT technological disasters, warfare

• Scientific Objectives → → → → → → →

Objectives:

1. Characterization of hazards, vulnerability and risk

2. Effective decision making in complex and changing risk contexts

3. Reducing risk and curbing losses through knowledge-based actions

Objective 1:

Characterization of hazards, vulnerability and risk– 1.1: identifying hazards and

vulnerabilities leading to risks; – 1.2: forecasting hazards and

assessing risks; and – 1.3: dynamic modelling of risk.

World Climate Research Programme•GEWEX, CLIVAR – climate extremesWorld Weather Research Programme•Typhoons, Socio-economic research activities

WCRP → IRDR• identifying and forecasting hazards, integrated

dynamic modelling of risk• Floods, storms, drought, temperature extremes• Extremes characteristics, probabilities,

thresholds, …IRDR → WCRP• Connections with other hazards, social sciences,

…• Identifying important activities, connections

with disaster risk reduction community

IRDR-WCRP Memorandum of UnderstandingCooperation in Research and Capacity Building

in relation to Extreme Climatic Events

Recognizing- that climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction are

increasingly seen as part of a continuum in need of integrated, multi-disciplinary research

- contribute to a world safer from climatic extreme events and all related hazards

– Areas of Cooperation– Implementation – Exchange of information

Cross-Cutting Themes

1. Capacity buildingSTART - partnership2. Case studies and demonstration

projects3. Assessment, data management

and monitoring

IPCC Special Report on Climate ExtremesCase Studies

Next week:

•Official opening - IRDR – IPO – CEODE Beijing•Selection of Director

Integrated Research on Disaster Risk - IRDR

Addressing the challenge of natural and human-induced environmental hazards

Thank you for your attention

InternationalSocial Sciences

Council