Natural Disaster, a workshop between prevention and adaptation
Over the past few decades, the world witnessed a striking increase in the economic losses caused by natural disasters, driven by rising population and economic growth. In the longer term, as the impacts of climate change become more pronounced, it is very likely that the frequency and the intensity of extreme events will rise. Bringing the natural hazard risk prevention and climate adaptation efforts together may help to avoid further aggravating of losses.
The International Research Workshop on Economics of Natural Disaster – Bridging Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Adaptation Efforts and Strategies, hosted by the International Center for Climate Governance (ICCG) on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore (Venice) on February 10th and 11th, was attended by forty scientists from Europe and beyond.
The workshop, co-organized by ICCG, FEEM, CMCC, IIASA and promoted by EC DG Research, UNISDR, TWAS and UNESCO, was structured in three sessions:
- Session 1 (chaired by Reinhard Mechler, IAASA) – Natural disaster risk: trends, economic costs and key challenges
- Session 2 (chaired by Jaroslav Mysiak, FEEM and CMCC) – Adaptation to climate extremes: economic costs and key challenges
- Session 3 (chaired by Salvano Briceno, UN/ISDR) – Disaster Economics for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Adaptation – Positions.
The workshop brought together social scientists from two until now largely disconnected domains: analytical and probabilistic risk assessment of today’s natural hazards and adaptation to future climate extremes and disasters.
Several issues were addressed amongst others the definition of “natural disaster”, the uncertainty in the evaluation of disaster losses, the need to collect and share data within the scientific community, the choice of adequate models and analytical instruments, collaboration between policy makers and scientists, the research gaps in economics of natural disasters and the funding priorities.
For more information: