Disasters and Human Development - (Columbia University Earth Institute Sustainability Primers) by John C Mutter & Sonali Deraniyagala

About the Book

""This primer focuses on both scientific and socio-economic aspects of disasters. The authors have a two-pronged goal: first, to show that potentially destructive ""natural"" events turn into disasters due to a combination of geophysical/scientific and socio-economic factors. And second, to shed light on the many ways in which disasters impact economic development and human welfare across communities and countries--and, in doing so, to isolate the socio-economic and political factors that cause these outcomes. The disaster types considered in this book are earthquakes, cyclones, droughts, and floods, as these are known to have the greatest consequences in terms of mortality and economic destruction. The authors analyze the natural-science foundations of each of these disaster types. They then go on to examine the effects of disasters on aspects of economic development--focusing on economic growth, poverty and welfare, and inequality. The discussion of physical and economic theory is combined with case studies to illustrate the effects of disasters on these aspects of development in countries with differing development levels.""-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Disasters arise from the convergence of natural and social forces. Earthquakes, cyclones, floods, droughts, and other catastrophic events disproportionately affect the most vulnerable people, whether the poor in wealthy countries or the inhabitants of less developed countries. In a warming world, climate-related disasters threaten to become even more hazardous.

This primer provides readers with a fundamental understanding of disasters and their consequences. John C. Mutter and Sonali Deraniyagala--a natural scientist and an economist--share their expertise in straightforward language, showing why an interdisciplinary approach is necessary to understand the causes and effects of these multifaceted events. This book first explains the natural science of why and how disasters occur and then investigates their significance for economic development across communities and countries, focusing on growth, inequality, and reconstruction. It features a wide range of global case studies, including earthquakes in Turkey and Haiti, hurricanes in the United States, drought in Ethiopia, and cyclones in Myanmar and Bangladesh. Disasters and Human Development will be useful for undergraduate and graduate courses, and it is relevant and accessible to practitioners and other interested readers.

About the Author

John C. Mutter is a professor at Columbia University with appointments in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and in the School of International and Public Affairs as well as a faculty member of the Columbia Earth Institute. His books include Climate Change Science: A Primer for Sustainable Development (Columbia, 2020).

Sonali Deraniyagala teaches in the Department of Economics, SOAS, University of London. Her books include Wave (2013), an acclaimed memoir of her experiences during and after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.