UNU-EHS Seminar-Workshop on
Water-related risk management in urban agglomerations
During the last decades evidence has pointed to a marked growth in the frequency and magnitude of natural hazards and their economic consequences. The frequency and magnitude of extreme environmental events (such as floods, landslides, and droughts) have grown considerably in recent decades. It is widely expected that due to the trends observed in the main forces driving these events, among them climate change, hazards may further increase in terms of magnitude and frequency.
While the risk they pose in mainly developing countries is increasing as well as the vulnerability of societies to them the response capabilities have generally worsened. These factors cause a deterioration of human security. The problem spans both rural and urban areas. However, the high density of cities, constant migration from rural to urban areas, and unplanned urban growth have been making cities more prone to such disasters.
The deterioration of human security in some parts of the world and the search for its causes, mechanisms, and potential countermeasures have revealed gaps in our understanding of the problems, lack of awareness, and lack of adequate human and institutional capacity to deal with these problems.
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