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Risk is an emergent property - as a system evolves, the risks evolve. For combinatorial reasons, as system complexity increases, the possibility of cascading risks increases. Resilience on the other hand, is the capacity of the system to absorb risks and maintain function Risk Reports:  Understanding risk The Global Risk Map The emergence of risks: contributing factor Emerging risks in the global insurance industry World bank significantly expands DRM product offering for clients Swiss Re to work with IBM Watson to harness the power of big data Low earthquake insurance penetration globally, even in countries with high seismic risk The Global Risks report 2017     The Globlal Risks Report 2016   Allianz Risk Barometer 2014 - growing interconnectvity of risks Munich Re Risk Award: best project proposals for 2014    WEF Global Risks 2014 Natural catastrophes and man-made disasters in 2013 (Swiss Re Sigma)    WEF:... Read more...

           Mission The fledgling iCREST education initiative is dedicated to building an Earth resilience literacy among high schoolers worldwide. The goal is to enable students to examine sustainability and resilience choices using data and models, and then, empowered with narrative and storytelling skills, become effective advocates for sensible solutions. iCREST is the initiative of the International Centre for Earth Simulation, a Swiss foundation embracing resilience, sustainability, ecology, and holistic modeling. The iCREST Education Advisory Board (EAB - see below) brings a wide range of expertise to the enterprise. Through its multipronged focus, iCREST aims to enable its youthful participants to contribute to community wellbeing and grow to be wise, civically engaged adults. Overview iCREST is aiming to provide a web-based system that allows students to do research to answer the question "What do data and model... Read more...

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This work explores the implications of a potential international climate agreement on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.1 Governments are due to negotiate a climate agreement at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP21) in Paris, France at the end of 2015. The impact of the climate agreement on global development by 2030 will be significant and, although it is unlikely to significantly impact global warming or the frequency and severity of weather-related disasters in the period up to 2030, it will play a major role thereafter. Read more...

The world cannot afford to perpetuate disconnect between disaster risk reduction, sustainable development and climate change. Disaster risk and climate change are felt differently by different countries and communities. Read more...

Titled Accelerating Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Development, the Africa Climate Business Plan will be presented at COP21, the global climate talks in Paris, on November 30. It lays out measures to boost the resilience of the continent’s assets – its people, land, water, and cities - as well as other moves including boosting renewable energy and strengthening early warning systems. Read more...

The UN climate talks in Paris have ended with an agreement between 195 countries to tackle global warming. The climate deal is at once both historic, important – and inadequate. From whether it is enough to avoid dangerous climate change to unexpected wins for vulnerable nations, here are five things to help understand what was just agreed at COP21. Read more...