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Environment
A Global Report REDUCING DISASTER RISK: A CHALLENGE FOR DEVELOPMENT 2004
The Report addresses four key questions: - How are disaster risks and human vulnerability to natural hazards distributed globally between countries ? - What are the development factors and underlying processes that configure development? - H ow can appropriate development policy and practice contribute to the reduction of disaster risks? - How can disaster risk assessment be enhanced in order to inform development policy and practice?
The Disaster Risk Index (DRI),which is presented as the centrepiece of this Report, is a first step in addressing these questions.The DRI provides the first global assessment of disaster risk factors through a c o u n t ry - b y - c o u n t ry comparison of human vulnerability and exposure to three critical natural hazards :earthquake, tropical cycl ones and flooding, and the identification of development factors that contribute to risk. Volcanic eruption is important internationally, but lacks sufficient data for analysis at this time (see Technical Annex).
Similarly, the development of a drought DRI revealed a series of unresolved methodological and conceptual challenges, which imply that its results do not yet have the required degree of confidence. Nevertheless, the e x p l o ra t i on of these ch a llenges in itself prov i d e s important insights into drought risk and vulnerability and is presented in the Report as a work in progress. Reliance on internationally available data and the use of human deaths as a proxy for disaster losses meant that certain types of disasters were excluded from the model. An example of this is fire, which can cause widespread damage with few deaths.
Source:UNDP