By Andy McElroy
BANGKOK, 23 August 2016 – Scientists and researchers were today urged to provide “solutions and guidance” so that policymakers are able to effectively address the challenge of escalating disaster risk.
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr Robert Glasser, said successive record-breaking hot months because of climate change were a “frightening development” that makes the need for risk-informed policymaking even more pressing.
“This is a critical time in the history of the planet when many look to the science and technology community for solutions and guidance. Politicians and policymakers are challenged on a daily basis by extreme weather events, poverty, environmental decline, population growth, rapid urbanisation and – most fundamentally – climate change. In short, the major drivers of disaster risk,” Mr Glasser said.