How Predictable Are Natural Disasters?
Earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural hazards have significant potential to affect human lives and society. In this e-seminar, Dr. Art Lerner-Lam (pictured left) will focus on types of natural hazards and their impact on human societies, as well as the impact of human society on the Earth. The first section of the e-seminar considers the definitions of natural hazards and natural disasters, characterizes types of natural hazards, and examines the direct and indirect impacts of natural disasters on human society. In the second section, Dr. Lerner-Lam examines the differences between hazard, a process with potential human impacts, and risk, the product of hazard and accumulated human assets. The final section focuses on the science of predicting hazards and risks. The e-seminar also asks the question of whether natural hazards can be predicted and examines the two types of study, empirical and model-based, by which such predictions are made.
