Interconnected Disaster Risks

Abstract

We live in an interconnected world, where disaster risks are increasing every day. In 2020/2021 alone, the world witnessed a number of record-breaking disasters that showed us clearer than ever before how interconnected we are, for better or worse. These disasters are symbols of underlying global issues that we must identify and address in order to better manage risk. This report analyses 10 disastrous events that occurred in 2020/2021 and explains that these events are interconnected with each other, with other larger, underlying societal processes, and with our behaviors and actions. We show that disasters in the past year were connected directly, such as in the case of the Arctic heatwave and the Texas cold wave, or indirectly, such as the COVID-19 pandemic’s influence on other disasters through impacts on economies and health systems. Co-occurring disasters, such as when Cyclone Amphan struck during the COVID-19 pandemic, drastically escalate levels of loss and damage, and risk management must adapt to account for such multi-hazard events. Case studies were also interconnected by shared root causes, the most common of which were human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and insufficient disaster risk management. However, other prominent root causes included global demand pressures, lack of national/international cooperation, prioritising individual profit and undervaluing environmental costs in decision-making. This report argues that since the risks associated with these disastrous events are interconnected in their root causes, influences, and impacts, thinking in fragmented, isolated and insular ways is no longer tenable. Instead, we must find integrated solutions that can tackle multiple root causes and emerging risks while enhancing our capacities to prepare and respond to future disasters.