International Day for Natural Disaster Risk Reduction | United Nations | 13th October 2023
#BreakTheCycle #DRRDay
The talk will explore the perceived as well as actual trends of wildfires around the globe, how some turn into disasters and which mitigation options exist for wildfire disasters.
It will also showcase some of the work of the Centre for Wildfire Research at Swansea University on a UK wide Fire Danger Forecasting System and on an online tool for predicting water contamination risk after wildfires.
About the Speaker
Stefan Doerr is Professor of Wildland Fire Science at Swansea University (UK), Director of its Centre for Wildfire Research and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Wildland Fire (CSIRO publishing). He has carried out research on wildfires over three decades across all fire-affected continents and has held collaborative research positions in Australia (Australian National University, Deakin University, University of Melbourne and CSIRO Canberra), Spain (Universitat de València), and the USA (Geological Survey, Denver). His work focuses on fire impacts and their mitigation (landscape carbon dynamics, soils, erosion water quality and ecosystem services), as well as global fire patterns, climate feedbacks, trends and social perceptions of fire. He is a fellow of The Learned Society of Wales and works closely with academics, natural resources managers, firefighters and industry partners in the UK and overseas.
Editor-in-Chief: International Journal of Wildland Fire http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/114.htm
Associate Editor: SOIL http://www.egu.eu/publications/open-access-journals
The theme for the 2023 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction aligns with the Sendai Framework, the international agreement to prevent and reduce losses in lives, livelihoods, economies and basic infrastructure. It has seven global targets and 38 indicators for measuring progress. The Sendai Framework complements the Paris Agreement on climate change, with both frameworks interlinked to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
In 2023, the International Day will explore the reciprocal relationship between disasters and inequality. Inequality and disaster vulnerability are two sides of the same coin: unequal access to services, such as finance and insurance, leaves the most at risk exposed to the danger of disasters; while disaster impacts exacerbate inequalities and push the most at risk further into poverty.
The International Day in 2023 takes place after the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, where the UN General Assembly in May 2023 adopted a political declaration to accelerate action to strengthen disaster resilience.
