Every 10 years or so the US National Bureau of Economic Research gathers together top thinkers and practitioners on catastrophe risks for a special 1.5 day event to highlight cutting edge research in the field. * What are the key challenges and opportunities posed by extreme events today? * What have we learned in recent [...]
A strong 7.4 earthquake hit Mexico today from its large capital to its resort-studded southern. It seems that the way the quake shook the country and the fact that it hit in several areas where new construction were seismic proof was critical here. In 1985 a massive 8.0 earthquake hit Mexico City and killed nearly [...]
Opinion co-authored with Kevin Lu – The Wall Street Journal, Jan 21 2012. The recent years have seen the occurrence of an unprecedented series of catastrophes and crises over a very short period of time. Terrorist attacks in New York, Madrid, London and Mumbai; massive deadly natural disasters in one country after another: not only [...]
The world has recently gone through rather extraordinary times. What are the top risks for 2012? Look at the 7th edition of the World Ecocomomic Forum GRR report, in collaboration with the Wharton Risk Center, MMC, SwissRe and Zurich. What are the top 50 risks this year? CLICK HERE TO WATCH FOR A RECENT INTERVIEW [...]
Looking at the past decade, one cannot but wonder about the series of unprecedented large-scale catastrophes and crises that occurred in such a short period of time. Massive terrorist attacks; repeated floods of unprecedented magnitude; numerous earthquakes and tsunamis with countless fatalities; devastating hurricanes, typhoons and storms in highly populated areas; major technological and environmental [...]
by Erwann Michel-Kerjan – The Washington Post – 09/15/2011 “The world has entered a new era of catastrophes. Economic losses from hurricanes, earthquakes and resulting tsunamis, floods, wildfires and other natural disasters increased from $528 billion (1981-1990) to more than $1.2 trillion over the period 2001-2010. The 9.0 earthquake and massive tsunami in Japan this [...]
The Kulp-Wright Book Award is presented annually by the American Risk and Insurance Association to the author(s) of a book considered to be the most influential text published on the economics of risk management and insurance. This year award will be given to the authors of the book At War with the Weather: Managing large-scale [...]
In March 2011, Mother Nature gave us her worst in Japan — the most devastating series of cascading disasters seen in our lifetime. The disaster was not just another earthquake (Japan has seen many, given its geography). It was such an extremely powerful earthquake that only a few have been recorded with higher intensity in [...]
Given the current nuclear risk crisis in Japan, one wonders what the effects might be in the future of civil nuclear energy development. This is not a small issue given the massive investments that have already been made or are planned in several countries. K@W devotes a special article on the question. “As the crisis [...]
Special Knowledge@Wharton coverage. It may be years before the costs — human and economic — of the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11 in Japan are fully known, but they will be enormous. With thousands feared dead throughout the northeastern part of the country and officials scrambling to contain a nuclear disaster, there are [...]