The increased frequency of exceptional weather and climate hazards due to global warming has intensified disaster risks, demonstrated in meteorological observation data from all over the world. Yet, societies face risks not only from weather conditions, but also due to negative effects on the normal operation of some infrastructures in the world and the service capacity of the earth ecological system. International frameworks and national governments have expressed strong interest in improved risk governance systems, as reflected in the UN International Strategy on Disaster Reduction. The Integrated Risk Governance Project (IRG) intends to direct the attention to a number of concerns, including policies designed to reduce the vulnerability of individuals and communities to the impacts of extreme events, decision-making processes regarding the establishment and deployment of response capabilities, and institutional arrangements capable of protecting individuals from the impacts of extreme events. It will undertake multi-discipline integration analysis to understand risk formation mechanisms and dissemination behaviour. It aims to identify mechanisms, trends, impacts and the predictability of risks in the context of global change, and will develop risk assessment models and methods for integrated risk simulation.

Image: Copyright UN Photo/Sophia Paris