Recent and Multidisciplinary Developments in Natural Disaster Prevention and Risk Reduction

Dear Colleagues,

The uncertainty in the natural environment caused by changes in the atmosphere and oceans due to climate change has been steadily increasing since the 20th century. This uncertainty encompasses geological instabilities such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, posing a global threat to human life with escalating magnitudes and scales of damage. In response, significant advancements have been made in disaster management systems at the individual, organizational, national, and international levels for prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery, both technically and policy-wise.

Nevertheless, despite these efforts, natural disasters, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, and, more recently, the estimated tens of thousands of deaths across Europe in the summer heatwave of 2022, have caused numerous casualties worldwide. Climate and geological disasters unfold in dimensions that diverge significantly from human expectations and efforts. Addressing these challenges involves not only the utilization of artificial intelligence based on big data but also an interdisciplinary approach that combines natural sciences, humanities, and the complex systems analysis of disaster phenomena.

Particularly, the intersection of technological advancements with the integration of natural sciences and humanities has led to diverse research areas, such as the analysis of the social structures of disaster impacts and the examination of disaster phenomena as complex systems. Many studies emphasize the close relationship between technological imbalances and the unfairness of disaster vulnerability. Recognizing that a one-dimensional analysis of disaster harm or vulnerability, solely through straightforward natural scientific analysis, cannot fully capture the reality of disasters interacting with society, this Special Issue aims to provide a platform for discussion from various perspectives. It seeks to move beyond the mere technical exploration of reducing damage from natural disasters and explore sustainable technologies for disaster reduction through diverse attempts.

Prof. Dr. Sungsu Lee
Prof. Dr. Hee Jung Ham
Prof. Dr. Jae-Seung Hwang
Guest Editors

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• compound disaster
• vulnerability
• social science
• typhoon
• earthquake
• heatwave
• tsunami
• humanity
• disaster reduction