World Risk Index: The Human Factor in Natural Disasters

Natural disasters strike without warning, but government preparation and regulations on infrastructure contribute to saving lives, suggests the World Risk Index from United Nations University researchers and development organizations. Shallow earthquakes struck Haiti and New Zealand each in 2010, reports Axel Bojanowski. In Haiti, more than 100,000 lost their lives while New Zealand suffered property damage. Other factors also contribute – including population density; exposure of housing, communities, power systems and transportation routes to specific risks; economic output and food supply; levels of medical care and education; political stability; and early-warning systems. Due to vulnerability, Japan is ranked 17th, the highest of developed nations. Canada; much of Europe, though not the Netherlands; and some of the Middle East are described as having very low risk. “Despite the apparently precise rankings, the calculations used by the World Risk Report are not based on exact measurements, but on approximate estimates made by thousands of experts,” Bojanowski explains. “The report places particular emphasis on infrastructure.” – YaleGlobal