WorldRiskReport
In which connection are the disaster risk of a country and its social situation?
How big is the influence of its governance, the quality of public health system, the environmental situation and the educational level on its endangering through natural disasters? The WorldRiskReport tries to give the answers to this questions. The WorldRiskReport includes the WorldRiskIndex. An Index, created by the institute for Environment and Human Security of the United Nations University, which indicates the risk of disaster in consequence of extreme natural events for 171 countrys.
WorldRiskIndex 2015
Where is the highest disaster risk in the world? In other words, where do natural hazards coincide with a vulnerable society? The WorldRiskIndex identifies the disaster risk hotspots in Central America, in the Southern Sahel, in Southeast Asia, and in Oceania – conspicuously often, countries with a high or very high risk are situated close to the equator. High exposure towards natural hazards is a significant risk driver, as demonstrated by the example of Japan. Owing to its exposure (the fourth highest worldwide), Japan belongs to the class with a very high disaster risk (ranking seventeenth worldwide), although, thanks to its very good level of development, the country shows only a very low level of vulnerability (the fifteenth best value worldwide). Liberia is the opposite example. While this West African country bears only a very low exposure (rank 113 of 171 countries), Liberia is extremely vulnerable due to its very poor economic and social situation – as was also dramatically demonstrated in the 2014/2015 Ebola epidemic. Liberia ranks sixth in the worldwide vulnerability comparison. The result is that it has a high disaster risk, putting it in fifty-seventh position worldwide. Looking at the table, it is noticeable that no less than six island nations are among the 15 countries with the highest risk worldwide – and the remaining nine are also situated next to the sea. This especially exposes them to sea-level rise, cyclones, and floods.
Each year the WorldRiskReport fokusses on special issues:
- 2015 “food security”
- 2014 „the city as a risk area“
- 2013 „health and healthcare“
- 2012 „environmental degradation and disasters“
- 2011 „governance and civil society“
Source
Alliance Developent Works 2015 | United Nations University – EHS 2015 | WorldRiskReport 2015