WorldRiskReport

Project Description

Every year millions of people worldwide suffer from disasters in the aftermath of extreme natural events. But whether it be earthquakes, storms or floods, the risk of a natural event turning into a disaster only partly depends on the force of the natural event itself. The framework conditions of a society and the structures in place to respond quickly and to provide assistance in the event of emergency are just as significant. The more fragile the infrastructure network, the greater the extent of extreme poverty and inequality and the worse the access to the public health system, the more susceptible a society is to natural events. Extreme natural events cannot be prevented directly, but countries can reduce disaster risk by fighting poverty and hunger, strengthening education and health, and taking preparedness measures. Those who build earthquake-proof buildings, install and use early warning systems and invest in climate and environmental protection, are better prepared against extreme natural events.

The annual editions focus on a main topic and include the WorldRiskIndex. Since 2018 the report is published in cooperation with the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) of the Ruhr-University Bochum. The WorldRiskReport should contribute to look at the links between natural events, climate change, development and preparedness at a global level and to draw future-oriented conclusions regarding relief measures, policies and reporting.

Aims and Objectives

In order to guarantee the quality of the WorldRiskIndex, it is necessary to continuously monitor and improve the concept and indicators and keep them up to date. From academic perspective, the key goal of this project is thus to build upon the concept of the WorldRiskIndex as it was developed by the UNU-EHS, refine it and adapt it to current needs as well as the development and availability of data.
In more detail this includes:

Translation of abstract terms into measurable indicators and criteria that allow the visualisation of selected characteristics and features of these complex concepts and processes;
Selection and development of indicators to measure risk, vulnerability and adaptation capacities to natural hazards and climate change-related threats at national and local scales;
Development of scientific methodologies to combine and merge very different aspects of disaster risk, vulnerability, coping and adaptation by means of indicators and statistical methodologies;
Development of an indicator and index system that is modular in its structure and therefore can be modified, if needed, in the future;
Development of a system that is mainly based on data that is publicly available and updated annually;
Furthermore, the indicator system and index should enable practitioners and experts to communicate the necessity for preventive measures towards risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

The WorldRiskIndex is not intended to capture the whole complexity of hazards, their generation or the various and context-specific features of vulnerability. Rather, it should give a first overview and, in this context, should stimulate further discussions on how to improve coping capacities and adaptation strategies towards extreme events and natural hazards – with a special emphasis on societal vulnerability.