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Can Financial Markets be Tapped to Help Poor People Cope with Weather Risks?

Jerry Skees, Panos Varangis, Donald Larson, and Paul Siegel

in Insurance Against Poverty

This chapter examines private and public mechanisms for managing natural disasters. It focuses on weather-related risks that impact rural incomes. It argues that the basic information and analysis ... More

This chapter examines private and public mechanisms for managing natural disasters. It focuses on weather-related risks that impact rural incomes. It argues that the basic information and analysis needed to design and value index insurance can also be used to develop a spatial mapping of weather-related risks. It discusses ways of structuring disaster assistance so that it facilitates other forms of risk management, and presents a solution that involves segmenting and layering the natural disaster risk.Less

The Frequency and Impact of Natural Disasters

Debarati Guha-Sapir, Olivia D’Aoust, Femke Vos, and Philippe Hoyois

in The Economic Impacts of Natural Disasters

The world is facing the impact of natural disasters on human lives and economy on a colossal scale. In 2008, 321 disasters killed 235,816 people, affected 211 million others and cost a total of ... More

The world is facing the impact of natural disasters on human lives and economy on a colossal scale. In 2008, 321 disasters killed 235,816 people, affected 211 million others and cost a total of US$181 billion. Asia account for a large share of these figures. The most frequent disasters are floods and storms, accounting for 70% of the natural disasters that occurred between 1950 and 2008. This chapter builds on the international Emergency Disasters Database (EM-DAT) to provide an overview of both the occurrence and the human and economic consequences of natural disasters across time and space. It also points out that statistics are essential forthe understanding of risk profiles and severity of impact, and calls for more standardized definitions and methods. In particular, the economic damages of natural disasters are largely underreported.Less

Responding to Natural Disaster and Rebuilding: Loss and Resurrection on the Gulf Coast

Mallory McDuff

in Natural Saints: How People of Faith are Working to Save God's Earth

This chapter reveals how churches are transforming the ministry of disaster relief and rebuilding by integrating the environment into their efforts. Many churches and faith organizations are making ... More

This chapter reveals how churches are transforming the ministry of disaster relief and rebuilding by integrating the environment into their efforts. Many churches and faith organizations are making the environment a priority as they respond to the increasing scale of natural disasters precipitated by climate change. The stories in this chapter along the Gulf Coast include the congregation of St. John Baptist Church, which integrated energy efficiency into their rebuilt church; a group of innovative churches called Sustainable Churches for South Louisiana; a program called Desire Street Ministries, which rebuilds churches and educates youth; and the Jericho Road Housing Initiative, which is spearheading energy-efficient, affordable housing. The lessons learned point to the power of hope from faith, the importance of coordinating sustainability among denominations, the potential for partnerships with secular environmental groups, and the long-term economic gains from investing in green building.Less

The Interlinkages between Natural Disasters and Economic Development

Ajay Chhibber and Rachid Laajaj

in The Economic Impacts of Natural Disasters

This chapter provides an analysis of the interaction between natural disasters and human development. It provides a decomposition of the channels through which “human made disasters with a natural ... More

This chapter provides an analysis of the interaction between natural disasters and human development. It provides a decomposition of the channels through which “human made disasters with a natural trigger” affect long term growth. It categorizes countries by level of exposure and investigates the approaches which can prevent a vicious cycle between natural disasters and low development. Among highly exposed countries, sustainable development needs to go hand in hand with an increase in resilience through both preparedness and mitigation. The chapter highlights the potential of an adaptive capacity at the institutional level, economic diversification, flexibility in aid disbursement, the use of index micro-insurances, and sustainable agriculture.Less

Overarching Normative Principles

Jane Mcadam

in Climate Change, Forced Migration, and International Law

This chapter draws together the themes of Chapters 7 and 8 to consider the overarching normative principles of international cooperation, humanity, and dignity that should underpin State and ... More

This chapter draws together the themes of Chapters 7 and 8 to consider the overarching normative principles of international cooperation, humanity, and dignity that should underpin State and institutional responses to cross-border displacement in the context of climate change and disasters. By placing the needs and rights of the affected individual at the centre of analysis, they mandate that legal and policy responses are human-rights-focused. There is an increasing coalescence of institutional support for the creation of a set of guiding principles, similar in nature to the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, to provide a guiding framework in cross-border scenarios. This is coupled with a noticeable shift in emphasis at the international level away from ‘climate change’ displacement, to a focus on ‘disasters’, of which climate change-related disasters are a sub-category. This sits more comfortably with the conceptual problems of isolating ‘climate change’ as a cause of movement, discussed throughout the book.Less

Facing Katrina: Illusions of Levee and Compulsion to Build

Harvey Molotch

in Against Security: How We Go Wrong at Airports, Subways, and Other Sites of Ambiguous Danger

This chapter turns to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast to demonstrate command and disarray in the way that city meets river. It describes how threats from nature become part of the social-political ... More

This chapter turns to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast to demonstrate command and disarray in the way that city meets river. It describes how threats from nature become part of the social-political apparatus—with the Katrina disaster the unhappy result. It has become rather common to observe that “there is no such thing as a natural disaster,” and Katrina is surely a poster child for that assertion. Much of the history of the New Orleans area was a kind Katrina in the making. Building levees, canals, and other infrastructural elements for the sake of safety yielded eventual mayhem. The chapter traces out some of the details of the “downward precautionary spiral.” Each effort at a fix leads to a successive effort of the same sort, accumulating not as a series of individual safety features but as vulnerability to events of catastrophic proportion.Less

Natural Disasters in Vietnam: A Synthesis From A Socioeconomic Perspective

Tran Huu Tuan and Bui Dung The

in The Economic Impacts of Natural Disasters

Lying in the tropical monsoon area of the North West Pacific, Vietnam is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. It is affected by many kinds of natural disasters such as floods, ... More

Lying in the tropical monsoon area of the North West Pacific, Vietnam is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. It is affected by many kinds of natural disasters such as floods, storms, whirlwinds, flash floods, coastline erosion, droughts and landslides. This chapter aims to reach a better understanding of disasters in Vietnam through a review of relevant case studies, policies, plans and strategies. The focus is on the socio-economic aspects of disastersusing documentary research methods. The study finds that disasters in Vietnam cause grave impacts to economic sectors, increase poverty, adversely impactindividual households and the community as large, cause environmental degradation, and induce serious health problems. The review of disaster prevention, response and mitigation measures in Vietnam points to the importance of public education and community awareness about disasters and of enforcement of legislation and policies on disasters.Less

Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response

Emily Ying Yang Chan

in Essentials for Health Protection: Four Key Components

Emergency preparedness to health risk and disaster response to health needs are essential health protection skills and competencies to protect community health and well-being in times of crisis. ... More

Emergency preparedness to health risk and disaster response to health needs are essential health protection skills and competencies to protect community health and well-being in times of crisis. Emergencies and extreme events may disrupt the environmental context and destroy essential life- and health-sustaining infrastructure and environmental context. Crisis often renders a health system ineffective to protect a community from health risks and provide for the overwhelming health and medical needs associated with the disruption. In addition, in the twenty-first century, many of the emergencies and disasters transcend national boundaries and require transnational cooperation. Such a response requires global involvement and collaborations to respond effectively and efficiently. Natural disasters (e.g. hurricanes/typhoons), global disease outbreaks of old and emerging infectious diseases, and population displacements as a result of war, famine, or natural disaster often require just the response capacity of more than a single nation.Less

Definitions and characteristics

Graciana del Castillo

in Rebuilding War-Torn States: The Challenge of Post-Conflict Economic Reconstruction

The book uses the term ‘economic reconstruction’ in a broad sense to include not only rehabilitation of basic services and rebuilding of physical and human infrastructure, but also the stabilization ... More

The book uses the term ‘economic reconstruction’ in a broad sense to include not only rehabilitation of basic services and rebuilding of physical and human infrastructure, but also the stabilization and structural reform policies, as well as the microeconomic foundations required to create a market economy and reactivate investment and broad-based growth. This chapter argues that countries in reconstruction do indeed share a number of characteristics with countries in the process of normal development but such similarities should not lead to their conflation. The chapter discusses how policymaking in countries coming out of crisis — whether conflict, natural disasters, or financial chaos — differs from policymaking under normal development. Since countries coming out of war have a high risk of relapsing into conflict, the chapter also argues that it may be more effective to use scarce resources in the few countries undergoing reconstruction than in preventive diplomacy across the world.Less

Families That Work in Times of Crisis

Jody Heymann

in Forgotten Families: Ending the Growing Crisis Confronting Children and Working Parents in the Global Economy

This chapter steps back and asks the question of whether the dilemmas that families face, as great as they are, continue to be relevant in the context of other crises from epidemics to natural ... More

This chapter steps back and asks the question of whether the dilemmas that families face, as great as they are, continue to be relevant in the context of other crises from epidemics to natural disasters to the long-term aftermath of wars. It examines what matters and what does not in times of crisis and afterward, beginning with families in Botswana, where the AIDS pandemic has led to a reduction in life expectancy. The chapter next examines the lives of families in Honduras, after massive mudslides displaced more than a million people. It also describes families in Vietnam a quarter-century after a war that led to several million deaths. Even in the midst of these tragedies and their aftermaths, there are glimpses of hope—programs that are truly making a difference in the lives of children. The chapter ends by describing these programs and the chance they provide for profound change.Less

Cuba’s International Disaster Responses: From 1960s Chile to the 2005 Henry Reeve Brigade

John M. Kirk

in Healthcare Without Borders: Understanding Cuban Medical Internationalism

Cuba’s record in responding to natural disasters and emergencies is examined, from 1960 to the present. The formation of the specially trained Henry Reeve Brigade when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 ... More

Cuba’s record in responding to natural disasters and emergencies is examined, from 1960 to the present. The formation of the specially trained Henry Reeve Brigade when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 (to respond to such emergencies) is analysed. Case histories of some of the responses are studied.Less

The vulnerability and resilience of cities

Josef W. Konvitz

in Cities and Crisis

The ultimate test of how well prepared a society is to cope with and recover from a crisis is another crisis.The lessons of the economic crisis of 2008 show how long it takes to bring about reforms, ... More

The ultimate test of how well prepared a society is to cope with and recover from a crisis is another crisis.The lessons of the economic crisis of 2008 show how long it takes to bring about reforms, and how difficult international co-operation to achieve greater coherence can be. Looking to the future, disasters – global and local – are likely to exceed past trends, challenging the capacity of individual countries to absorb their impact. Cross-border, cross-sectoral, place-based strategies will be difficult for governments to introduce and implement, as illustrated by examples from the past two decades, and by the risks associated with flooding. Earlier in the 20th century, modern networked infrastructure utilities were seen as a point of vulnerability, but bombing in war did not bring about an expected collapse of urban societies and economies. Instead, this experience highlighted the factors of resilience. Strengthening resilience makes sense but it is not a cost-free strategy. The greatest risk to resilience comes from the fragmentation of society and a loss of social capital.Less

Natural Disasters and the Insurance Industry

Angelika Wirtz

in The Economic Impacts of Natural Disasters

Overall and insured losses of natural disasters are steadily increasing and reach record highs. The worldwide insurance and reinsurance industry plays an important role to provide immediate financial ... More

Overall and insured losses of natural disasters are steadily increasing and reach record highs. The worldwide insurance and reinsurance industry plays an important role to provide immediate financial support to overcome the impact of natural disasters. This chapter provides information about the development of insurance solutions for natural disasters - from a historical perspective up to current insurance schemes, including micro-insurance. It also analyses in detail the impact of natural disasters of the last decades and points out the most affected areas, the costliest and deadliest events, the distribution by peril and the impact in different income groups.Less

The Economic Impact of Earthquakes on Households: Evidence From Japan

Yasuyuki Sawada

in The Economic Impacts of Natural Disasters

Japan is vulnerable to a wide variety of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, floods, landslides and avalanches. Of these natural disasters, earthquakes are ... More

Japan is vulnerable to a wide variety of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, floods, landslides and avalanches. Of these natural disasters, earthquakes are the most serious and frequently occurring. In this chapter, after reviewing the two contrasting cases of the Kobe and Chuetsu earthquakes, we discuss the role of public policy in facilitating risk management at the household level in the case of natural disasters. The Kobe earthquake hit the urban centre, where industries and residence are densely located, while the Chuetsu earthquake occurred in mountainous and remote farming areas. A comparison of Kobe and Chuetsu earthquakes shows differences in income, consumption, and other household level socio-economic variables that help us to identify the effectiveness of formal and informal insurance mechanisms.Less

Valuing the Impacts of Natural Disasters and the Economic Benefits of Preventing Them: Methods and Applications

Ståle Navrud and Kristin Magnussen

in The Economic Impacts of Natural Disasters

While damage to public goods could make up a large part of the overall economic damage caused by natural disasters, few studies of their economic value exist. This is due to their non-market nature ... More

While damage to public goods could make up a large part of the overall economic damage caused by natural disasters, few studies of their economic value exist. This is due to their non-market nature and lack of market prices, which make assessments of their economic values difficult. Therefore, this chapters aims at describing both market and non-market valuation methods that can be used to value the impacts of natural disasters; and especially how they can be adapted in order to estimate the social benefits arising from the prevention of damage from natural disasters in developing countriesLess

Natural Disasters and Alternative Modes of Governance: The Role of Social Networks and Crowdsourcing Platforms in Russia

Gregory Asmolov

in Bits and Atoms: Information and Communication Technology in Areas of Limited Statehood

The chapter explores the role of ICT for emergency response in areas of limited statehood. It addresses whether ICT can make the crowd not only a resource for emergency response but also an actor in ... More

The chapter explores the role of ICT for emergency response in areas of limited statehood. It addresses whether ICT can make the crowd not only a resource for emergency response but also an actor in that response, capable of developing alternative modes of governance. Relying on the analysis of two case studies of natural disasters in Russia, the chapter argues that ICT provides new opportunities for the organization of large-scale collective action, making it possible for volunteers to play a dominant independent role in emergency response. The role of citizen collective action in emergency situations depends on the attitude of the state actors toward horizontal citizen structures. The chapter suggests that if the state is open to the synergy of formal and informal structures, the role of citizens will be embedded within the institutional response; if the state ignores or restricts networked volunteers, alternative modes of governance emerge.Less

Climate change catastrophes and social intersections

Rob White

in Climate Change Criminology

This chapter examines the consequences of climate change from the point of view of disasters and their consequences for specific interest and population groups. A key focus is the social ... More

This chapter examines the consequences of climate change from the point of view of disasters and their consequences for specific interest and population groups. A key focus is the social intersections that become apparent in such events. For example, the climatic and weather events that form the backdrop to present conflicts in places such as Syria are discussed, as are the gendered vulnerabilities evident in disaster situations such as cyclones and tsunami. Social conflicts stemming from climate change are then elaborated as a more general and increasingly likely scenario. In response to real and perceived threats and risk linked to climate change, issues of security are already generating angst among policy-makers and military planners. Indeed, the securitisation of natural resources, to the detriment of others, is emerging as an important climate-related issue, especially in regard to food, water, land, and air quality.Less

Introduction

in Law in Crisis: The Ecstatic Subject of Natural Disaster

This introductory chapter first sets out the book's purpose, which is to plead for the revival of ecstasy as a point of departure in the study of law. It makes the case that legal ecstasy is still ... More

This introductory chapter first sets out the book's purpose, which is to plead for the revival of ecstasy as a point of departure in the study of law. It makes the case that legal ecstasy is still very much with us, that it remains an effective framework for politics, and that ecstatic subjects—or their off-center, eccentric counterparts—have been key players in the articulation of modern and contemporary political norms. It does so by focusing on what has increasingly been called “disaster law”—defined broadly here as the legal and political structures that appear in the aftermath of crises such as earthquakes, floods, or fires. The chapter then outlines the major themes that appear throughout the book. It addresses a number of broad trends in the literature on ecstasy, subjectivity, and truth. It describes ecstatic subjects of law as they appear in late twentieth-century work, and explains how the book's own interpretation of ecstatic subjectivity both draws on these descriptions and departs from them. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.Less