Panel Discussion in WBF 2023: New Collaboration for Building a Resilient Society

Abstract

Building a resilient society is key to preparing for disasters beyond the planned scale. To achieve this, it is necessary to create a clear common understanding of what “resilient” disaster management means and to consider concrete methods to accelerate its social implementation. However, few opportunities have occurred to have these discussions with diverse stakeholders. Therefore, a panel discussion was held to consider the type of cooperation required to build a resilient society. Each speaker provided information from various perspectives, including emergency information, disaster prevention education, and scientific knowledge on the mechanism of tsunamis, and their impact on ecosystems. Based on the above, the panel discussion confirmed the need for various elements such as infrastructure, information, rules, and social structure. In particular, it is necessary to develop consistency with existing safety standards for disaster prevention using ecosystems. It was suggested that, in addition to the practice of education, cooperation with the media, which keeps up-to-date information on a long-term basis, is indispensable for raising awareness of disaster prevention. This panel discussion emphasized that disaster reduction is a difficult field for companies to enter and commercialize, however, it was emphasized that it is indispensable worldwide.