Natural disasters

Disasters undermine development and jeopardise the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Hundreds of thousands of people are killed each year and millions injured, displaced or have their livelihoods destroyed by natural disasters.

UKCDS members and stakeholders are working together to share information that will lead to enhanced capacity around the world to address hazards and make informed decisions on actions to reduce their impacts.

Research will also be able to inform a new International Science Union programme on Integrated Research on Disaster Risk. 

The aim is to shift focus from response-recovery towards prevention-mitigation, building resilience and reducing risks, learning from experience and avoiding past mistakes. 

UKCDS members involved in the Natural Disasters group:

• Department for International Development (DFID)
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• National Environment Research Council (NERC)
• Wellcome Trust

Selected UKCDS involvement in work on disasters

• Disasters Conference 2010 - in October 2010, UKCDS co-hosted a one-day conference to coincide with the UN International Day for Disaster Reduction Research. The event brought together over 150 NGOs, researchers and policy to identify better ways to coordinate and collaborate with each other to tackle the impact of climate or environmental change on their disaster risk reduction work.  Watch videos and download presentations from the day.

For more information contact Charlie McLaren, Research and Policy Analyst.

 Image source: Fredrik Naumann / Panos