Skip to main content

Introduction – Living with Perils in the Twenty-First Century

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
  • 1703 Accesses

Part of the book series: Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research ((NTHR,volume 33))

Abstract

This chapter introduces some of the questions that spurred the writing of this book, particularly whether there are underlying commonalities in beliefs about natural hazards across the globe, and whether links can be drawn between people’s perceptions or representations of their risk from natural hazards on the one hand, and the actions they take to mitigate against these hazards on the other. The book brings together a number of risk perception/representation studies that traverse several countries and hazards and are authored by academics from a diverse set of disciplines. Challenges and gaps are identified in relation to the risk perception field, and it is argued that cross-cultural, multi-disciplinary studies are required to answer the questions raised in the chapter.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alexander D (1999) Natural disasters. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  • Alexander D (2000) Confronting catastrophe: new perspectives on natural disasters. Oxford University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Blaikie P, Cannon T, Davis I, Wisner B (2003) At risk: natural hazards, people’s vulnerability, and disasters, 2nd edn. Routledge, London

    Google Scholar 

  • EM-DAT (2012) EM-DAT: the OFDA/CRED international disaster database. www.emdat.be. Accessed 25 Oct 2012

  • Guha-Sapir D, Hargitt D, Hoyois P (2004) Thirty years of natural disasters 1974–2003: the numbers. Presses Universitaires de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve

    Google Scholar 

  • Joffe H, Solberg C, Rossetto T, O’Connor C (2013) Social representations of earthquakes: a study of those living in three highly seismic areas. Earthquake Spectra

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan ME (2005) The death toll from natural disasters: the role of income, geography and institutions. Rev Econ Stat 87(2):271–284

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindell MK, Prater CS (2003) Assessing community impacts of natural disasters. Nat Hazards Rev 4(4):176–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nellemann C, Hain S, Alder J (eds) (2008) In dead water: merging of climate change with pollution, over-harvest, and infestations in the world’s fishing grounds. United Nations Environment Programme, GRID-Arendal, Arendal

    Google Scholar 

  • Palm R, Carroll J (1998) Illusions of safety. Culture and earthquake hazard response in California and Japan. Westview Press, Boulder

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossetto T, Solberg C, Joffe H (2011) A different view on human vulnerability to earthquakes: lessons from risk perception studies. In: Spence RJ, So E, Scawthorn C (eds) Human casualties in earthquakes: progress in modeling and mitigation, vol 29. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 291–304

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Solberg C, Rossetto T, Joffe H (2010) The social psychology of seismic hazard adjustment: re-evaluating the international literature. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 10(8):1663–1677

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2011) The world bank supports Thailand’s post-floods recovery effort. http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/2011/12/13/world-bank-supports-thailands-post-floods-recovery-effort. Accessed 18 Oct 2012

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tiziana Rossetto .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Rossetto, T. (2013). Introduction – Living with Perils in the Twenty-First Century. In: Joffe, H., Rossetto, T., Adams, J. (eds) Cities at Risk. Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research, vol 33. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6184-1_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics