Invited perspectives: Views of 350 natural hazard community members on key challenges in natural hazards research and the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Abstract. In this paper, we present the results of an NHESS (Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences) 20th anniversary survey, in which 350 natural hazard community members responded to two questions: (Q1) “what are the top three scientific challenges you believe are currently facing our understanding of natural hazards” and (Q2) “what three broad step changes should or could be done by the natural hazard community to address natural hazards in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”? We have analysed the data quantitatively and qualitatively. According to the 350 respondents, the most significant challenges (Q1) are the following (within brackets % of 350 respondents who identified a given theme): (i) shortcomings in the knowledge of risk and risk components (64 %), (ii) deficiencies of hazard and risk reduction approaches (37 %), (iii) influence of global change, especially climate change (35 %), (iv) integration of social factors (18%), (v) inadequate translation of science to policy and practice (17 %), and (vi) lack of interdisciplinary approaches (6 %). In order for the natural hazard community to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (Q2), respondents called for (i) enhanced stakeholder engagement, communication and knowledge transfer (39 %), (ii) increased management and reduction of disaster risks (34 %), (iii) enhanced interdisciplinary research and its translation to policy and practice (29 %), (iv) a better understanding of natural hazards (23 %), (v) better data, enhanced access to data and data sharing (9 %), and (vi) increased attention to developing countries (6 %). We note that while the most common knowledge gaps are felt to be around components of knowledge about risk drivers, the step changes that the community felt were necessary related more to issues of wider stakeholder engagement, increased risk management and interdisciplinary working.

A methodology to compile multi-hazard interrelationships in a data-scarce setting: an application to Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

“…Within the context of these urban areas, where the interaction of exposure to multiple hazards and high vulnerability combine to exacerbate risk (Hallegatte et al, 2020;Shrestha et al, 2020), mapping of multi-hazard interrelationships can inform effective and people-centred DRR strategies (Scolobig et al, 2015;UNDRR, 2023). Considering these challenges, the DRR community has identified the need for a greater breadth and depth of (multi-)hazard data from diverse sources as a critical priority in better understanding hazardscapes and their impacts (Gill et al, 2021b;Šakić Trogrlić et al, 2022;Šakić Trogrlić et al, 2024). This paper applies a single-hazard and multi-hazard interrelationship scoping methodology using blended evidence types in the context of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, as an example of a multi-hazard, data-scarce urban setting.…”

Challenges in Assessing and Managing Multi-Hazard Risks: A European Stakeholders' Perspective

“…Between 1980 and 2020, natural hazards impacted approximately 50 million people in the European Union (EU), resulting in an average annual damage of €12 billion (European Commission, 2023a). It is increasingly recognised that these hazards and/or their impacts often overlap in space and time, necessitating a risk management approach that addresses multi-hazards and their resulting multi-hazard risks ( Šakić Trogrlić et al, 2022;Ward et al, 2022;Hochrainer-Stigler et al, 2023;Kreibich et al, 2022).…”

Interdisciplinarity in practice: Reflections from early-career researchers developing a risk-informed decision support environment for Tomorrow's cities

“…Future urban disaster risk in the context of projected rapid urbanisation in low-to-middle income countries over the next three decades represents one of these intractable challenges [4,5]. Interdisciplinarity has been proposed as a way forward to advancing holistic and integrative ways of thinking and acting towards disaster risk reduction [6,7]; yet, researchers in disaster and risk studies experience a myriad of challenges in 'doing' interdisciplinary research [8,9]. Arguably, some of the shortcomings in practicing interdisciplinarity are related to a lack of critical (self-)reflection on what works and how in tandem with in-depth theorisations that make sense of the interdisciplinary process and its core components [10].…”