Why aren’t we investing more in disaster resilience, despite the rising costs of disaster events? This book argues that decision-makers in governments, businesses, households, and development agencies tend to focus on avoiding losses from disasters, and perceive the return on investment as uncertain – only realised if a somewhat unlikely disaster event actually happens.
This book develops a new business case for investment based on the multiple dividends of resilience. This looks beyond only avoided losses (the first dividend) to the wider benefits gained independently of whether or not the disaster event occurs. These include unleashing entrepreneurial activities and productive investments by lowering the looming threat of losses from disasters and enabling businesses, farmers and homeowners to take positive risks (the second dividend); and co-benefits of resilience measures beyond just disaster risk (the third dividend), such as flood embankments in Bangladesh that double as roads, or wetlands in Colombo that reduce urban heat extremes.
Why aren’t we investing more in disaster resilience, despite the rising costs of disaster events? This book argues that decision-makers in governments, businesses, households, and development agencies tend to focus on avoiding losses from disasters, and perceive the return on investment as uncertain – only realised if a somewhat unlikely disaster event actually happens. This book develops a new business case for investment based on the multiple dividends of resilience. This looks beyond only avoided losses (the first dividend) to the wider benefits gained independently of whether or not the disaster event occurs. These include unleashing entrepreneurial activities and productive investments by lowering the looming threat of losses from disasters and enabling businesses, farmers and homeowners to take positive risks (the second dividend); and co-benefits of resilience measures beyond just disaster risk (the third dividend), such as flood embankments in Bangladesh that double as roads, or wetlands in Colombo that reduce urban heat extremes.
Brings together different disciplines, and offers assessment from a variety of angles and at various scales, supported by a set of country case studies to provide empirical examples, and identify knowledge gaps Extends the resilience dividend concept by specifically focussing on those aspects that are generally not accounted for and not considered when making investment decisions Written by leading academics, but for a broader audience, focusing on advice and guidance for decision-makers, while venturing into a new research territory Very timely (with 2015 as a pivotal year for DRM), addressing a new field, with the intention of triggering further interest and work Content is peer-reviewed by the World Bank and external experts Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
Swenja Surminski
DRM Investment Macro-economic Benefit Rising Loss DRM Expenditure Co-benefit climate change impacts Climate change management