Efficient and equitable policies for managing disaster risks and
adapting to global environmental change are critically dependent on
development of robust options supported by integrated modeling.
The book is based on research and state-of-the art models developed at
IIASA (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis) and within
its cooperation network. It addresses the methodological complexities of
assessing disaster risks, which call for stochastic simulation,
optimization methods and economic modeling. Furthermore, it describes
policy frameworks for integrated disaster risk management, including
stakeholder participation facilitated by user-interactive
decision-support tools.
Applications and results are presented for a number of case studies at
different problem scales and in different socio-economic contexts, and
their implications for loss sharing policies and economic development
are discussed. Among others, the book presents studies for insurance
policies for earthquakes in the Tuscany region in Italy and flood risk
in the Tisza river basin in Hungary. Further, it investigates the
economic impact of natural disasters on development and possible
financial coping strategies; and applications are shown for selected
South Asian countries.
The book is addressed both to researchers and to organizations involved
with catastrophe risk management and risk mitigation policies.