IMPLEMENTING GLOBAL AND NATIONAL FRAMEWORKS FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

At home and abroad, we are confronted with growing vulnerability to natural hazards. This growth reflects the increasing number of people moving into high-hazard areas like coastal zones and floodplains. Increasingly interdependent critical infrastructure is turning local hazards into national problems. For climate-related hazards, future growth is expected to reflect changes in event frequency and intensity in a warming world. The need has never been greater for a firm commitment to disaster risk reduction and the policies that will be required to meet this challenge. To be effective, disaster risk reduction policies cannot stand alone but rather must be mainstreamed into broader societal goals of sustainable development and security. In particular, disaster risk reduction needs to be a key component of climate adaptation strategies.

Frameworks have been developed at both the national and international levels to harness science and technology in support of disaster risk reduction. The U.S. National Science and Technology Council’s Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction (http://www.sdr.gov) has identified a set of Grand Challenges for Disaster Reduction that if met would result in more disaster-resilient communities. On a global stage, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (http://www.unisdr.org/) is focused on the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action, a set of priority areas established by the World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in Kobe, Japan, in January 2005.

Such frameworks are only as good as their implementation, and building a more disaster-resilient society requires the collective action of government at all levels, non-profit organizations, the private sector and above all individuals trying to do what is best for themselves, their families and their communities.