The UK harnessing science to “bounce back”

There is a certain buzzword that you hear a lot these days.  It’s tossed around by business executives, city managers, weather forecasters, even the odd politician. You feel you should be doing it, but you’re not sure how, or even what it means—resilience.

What is resilience? Resilience is the ability to “bounce back” quickly from adversity, setbacks, crises or disruptions. It is the maintenance of continuity. The faster you are able to get back to “normal”, the more resilient you are. Businesses want to be resilient so they don’t lose market share. The government wants to be resilient so it’s able to provide services to its citizens. And those in the weather and climate fields warn us to be prepared in the face of natural disasters and hazards that are always looming.

Resilience to natural disasters and hazards is a global issue. Natural disasters, from earthquakes to hurricanes, from volcanic eruptions to ice storms, impact us on a regular basis. On a global scale between 2000 and 2012, 2.9 billion people were affected and 1.7 million people died as a result of disasters. Throughout the world during that period, the UN estimated that $1.7 trillion of damage was also sustained.

We can plan for them, anticipate them, and hope they never occur; but in the end, they will come. And we must be prepared. A good way to do this is to use science and research to mitigate their impact, adapt to their effects, and convey the science surrounding them to the people who will benefit from it.

The science of natural disasters and human reaction was the topic of a recent workshop our Science & Innovation team from the British Consulate General in Houston organized in Bogota, Columbia. Along with the UK Collaborative on Development Science (UKCDS) and UK Science & Innovation at the British Embassy in Bogota, we brought together an international group of experts for a few days to develop a method for disaster risk assessments that can be undertaken to ensure scientific rigour but can also be implemented when there are limitations to available time, knowledge and materials. A unique component of the workshop was the inclusion, participation and input of user groups who are often required to undertake disaster risk assessments in resource, capacity and time limiting situations.

It was fascinating—experts from across the globe whose work looks at preparedness for and responses to natural disasters, all events that we have experienced or seen. I found so many similarities to events I had experienced, from Hurricane Ike (in Houston) to earthquakes (while living in Tokyo), that it was hard to keep from shouting out, “that is so true! You’re right!” It is clear that no one is immune from natural disasters, no matter where you live. The important thing is that you recognize the potential for harm and seek to address it, before it happens.

Through the workshop, participants were able to map out how to tackle the issue of identifying how science can play a consistent and substantive role in reducing vulnerabilities to natural hazards while promoting sustainable resilience. Key areas to address are appropriate communication and technology, and using standard terminology in early warning systems fitting for the community being addressed.

The UK has championed the issue of disaster resilience, as today there are more people at risk than ever from natural hazards. While these events are a risk for developing countries, which may lack the resources, access or infrastructure to address or plan resilience, they are also a risk in developed countries like the UK. Recent winter flooding, the longest on record, was responsible for significant disruption to individuals, businesses and infrastructure. While the UK has advanced weather forecasting, monitoring and emergency response services, the scale and duration of the flooding was incredibly challenging. And the weather patterns that directly influenced the floods were connected with other weather patterns worldwide, showing just how important international cooperation is in the climate sciences and disaster management. So while reducing the number of natural hazards might not be possible, we can increase our preparation for and responses to them.