Risk Analysis of Natural Hazards: Interdisciplinary Challenges and Integrated Solutions

Abstract

Natural hazards can have a devastating impact on society. They cause billions of dollars of damage each year, kill thousands, and render millions homeless, and their frequency and severity are expected to increase with climate change. Although the source of damage from natural hazards may appear to be “natural,” in fact it results from complex interactions between the natural environment, human decisions about the built environment, and social vulnerability. This volume brings together leading minds in engineering, science, philosophy, law, and the social sciences to develop a deeper understanding of the interdisciplinary challenges involved in the mitigation of natural hazards.

Parts I and II of this volume explore risk assessment, first by providing an overview of the interdisciplinary interactions involved in the assessment of natural hazards, and then by exploring the particular impacts of climate change on natural hazard assessment. Part III discusses the theoretical frameworks for the evaluation of natural hazards. Finally, Parts IV and V address the risk management of natural hazards: Part IV provides an overview of the interdisciplinary interactions underlying natural hazard management, and Part V explores decision frameworks that can help decision makers integrate and respond to the complex relationships among natural events, the built environment, and human behavior.