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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI13022730/00001
Notes
- Summary:
- This report underlines the significant role of science in the realm of disaster risk reduction (DRR). It specifically calls on policy makers to reduce risks to disaster by integrating scientific inquiry into their DRR planning and implementation processes, thus ensuring that DRR is based on sound evidence rather than pure conjecture. While the impact of disasters on populations is growing for a variety of reasons, including rapid population growth, unplanned urbanization, environmental degradation, climate change, ageing infrastructures, and the increasing concentration of assets in at-risk areas, these impacts can be significantly reduced through the scientific study of risks and vulnerabilities, and the development of policies and technologies from these studies. It is due to the critical function that science and technology plays in the process of DRR that the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) established the Scientific and Technical Committee focused on the natural, environmental, social, economic, health, and engineering sciences, as well as technology and engineering. The document outlines the entity’s efforts at making DRR a science-based activity. It is divided into five sections. The second section of the document, following the introduction, makes several observations about three issues: (i) the increasing number and likelihood of disasters; (ii) increasing vulnerability; and (iii) the successes and failures in the application of the natural and social sciences to DRR. The third part focuses on four key topics: climate change, early warning systems, public health, and socio-economic resilience. The report suggests that other important topics such as seismic risk prevention and the role of ecosystems in risk reduction will be dealt with in future reports by the ISDR Scientific and Technical Committee. Section four calls for a more effective interplay of science, technology, and policy. In this regard, the report calls for better integration of science and technology into policy, increased interaction among the scientific and technical disciplines, improved international collaboration, and greater focus on capacity development. In the last part, the report makes several recommendations. It calls for: (i) the promoting of knowledge into action; (ii) the use a problem-solving approaches that integrate all hazards and disciplines; (iii) supporting systematic science programmes; and (iv) establishing good practices in the scientific and technical aspects of DRR. ( English )
- Subject:
- General Risk Reduction ( English )
- Subject:
- Science ( English )
- Scope and Content:
- Executive Summary p. iv; Section 1 Introduction p. 2; 1.1 Disasters and disaster risk reduction p. 2; 1.2 Science role in disaster risk reduction p. 3; Section 2 Principal observations p. 4; 2.1 Increasing number and likelihood of disasters p. 4; 2.2 Increasing vulnerability p. 4; 2.3 Successes and failures in the application of natural and social sciences to disaster risk reduction p. 4; Section 3 Selected topics of current policy concern p. 7; 3.1 Climate change p. 7; 3.2 Changing institutional and public behaviour to early warnings p. 8; 3.3 Incorporating knowledge of the wide health impacts of disasters p. 10; 3.4 Improving resilience to disasters through social and economic understanding p. 12; Section 4 Achieving a more effective interplay of science, technology and policy p. 14; 4.1 Better integration of science and technology into policy p. 14; 4.2 Greater interaction among the scientific and technical disciplines p. 15; 4.3 Promoting greater international collaboration p. 16; 4.4 Capacity development p. 17; Section 5 Recommendations p. 18; References 19 ( English )
- Citation/Reference:
- (2009). Reducing disaster risks through science: issues and actions—the full report of the ISDR Scientific and Technical Committee. United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).
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