Presentation to JSC-WCRP Antalya, Turkey Feb 2010 Gordon A. McBean, CM, PhD, FRSC

1. TAKING AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO DISASTER RISK REDUCTION Presentation to JSC-WCRP Antalya, Turkey Feb 2010 Gordon A. McBean, CM, PhD, FRSC Chair, Science Committee – Integrated Research on Disaster Risk - IRDR Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction University of Western Ontario, Canada International Social Sciences Council

2. 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 a vulnerability 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.” Research on both hazards and vulnerabilities

3. Latest disaster statistics Top 10 - 2009

4. Mega-Disasters – > 10,000 fatalities 2003-2008 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 Climate related

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

6. “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 Typhoon Morakot – August 2009 “The real tragedy is that many of these deaths can be avoided.” How can science – IRDR-WCRP - play a role in reducing those deaths?

7. 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

8. 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 • Hazards – floods, storms, drought • temperature extremes • Prediction, characteristics, …

9. 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 → → → → → → →

10. Objectives: • Characterization of hazards, vulnerability and risk • Effective decision making in complex and changing risk contexts • Reducing risk and curbing losses through knowledge-based actions

11. 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 extremes • World Weather Research Programme • Typhoons, Socio-economic research activities

12. 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

13. IRDR-WCRP Memorandum of UnderstandingCooperation in Research and Capacity Buildingin 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

14. Cross-Cutting Themes • Capacity building START - partnership • Case studies and demonstration projects • Assessment, data management and monitoring • Next week: • Official opening - IRDR – IPO – CEODE Beijing • Selection of Director IPCC Special Report on Climate Extremes Case Studies

15. Integrated Research on Disaster Risk - IRDR Addressing the challenge of natural and human-induced environmental hazards International Social Sciences Council Thank you for your attention