Frontiers in Science and Engineering, Vol 5, No 1 (2015)

Natural and societal-induced environmental hazards: integrate interdisciplinary long–term research strategy for developing countries

Juan Carlos Castilla

Abstract


Natural stochastic and societal-induced hazard events (S-IHEs), such as meteorological, climate, hydrological, geophysical and biological, are part of the so called “science of natural and societal-induced hazards and disaster risk”. In the past 50 years world impacts due to natural and NS-IHEs have increased
about one order of magnitude, showing severe increases in economical damages. Moreover, over 90% of the population affected by them refers to events such as flooding, windstorms and droughts, with a mean of about 200,000 people directly affected per year. In my view the “hard-science” behind natural and S-IHEs involve basic disciplinary research as well as in the so called mission integrative and multidisciplinary research. In the are of natural hazards and S-IHEs there is an urgent need for disciplines to truly “talkeach- other” in an integrative way. Chile is a developing country facing numerous and dreadful natural and S-IHEs and therefore, scientific research (preparation, response, recovery, mitigation) and linkages with policy making and government, need to be part of integrate interdisciplinary long–term scientific research strategies. The paper describes, with details, a research multidisciplinary initiative (FONDAP Programs) highlighting long-term results regarding first world class publications, that may serve as an example for building natural and S-IHEs investigative and the design of public policy strategies in other developing countries.