On the Forest Vegetation Role in the Flood Control in Light of the Severest Floods in the Yangtze River Valley

１ＤｅｓｔｒｕｃｔｉｏｎｏｆｔｈｅＦｏｒｅｓｔＶｅｇｅｔａｔｉｏｎＩｓｔｈｅＭａｊｏｒＣａｕｓｅｏｆｔｈｅＳｅｖｅｒｅｓｔＦｌｏｏｄｓｏｆ１９９８ＰｒｅｍｉｅｒＺｈｕＲｏｎｇｊｉｓａｉｄａｔａｎｉｎｔｅｒｖｉｅｗｗｉｔｈＭａＹｏｎｇｓｈｕｎ，ａｎｏｌｄｍｏｄｅｌｗｏｒｋｅｒｉｎｔｈｅｆｉｅｌｄｏｆｆｏｒｅｓｔｒｙ，＂Ｔｈｉｓｙｅａｒ，ｔｈｅｓｅｖｅｒｅｓｔｆｌｏｏｄｓｏｃｃｕｒｒｅｄｂｏｔｈｉｎｔｈｅｓｏｕｔｈａｎｄｎｏｒｔｈｏｆｏｕｒｃｏｕｎｔｒｙ．Ｔｈｅｍａｊｏｒｃａｕｓｅｏｆｔｈｉｓｎａｔ…     

Major Flood Disasters in the History of the Yangtze River

Ｔｈｅｆｌｏｏｄｄｉｓａｓｔｅｒｉｎ１９３１．ＩｎＪｕｌｙ１９３１，ｔｈｅｐｒｅｃｉｐｉｔａｔｉｏｎｉｎｔｈｅｒｅａｃｈｅｓｏｆｔｈｅＹａｎｇｔｚｅＲｉｖｅｒｗａｓｍｏｒｅｔｈａｎｔｗｉｃｅｔｈｅｐｒｅｃｉｐｉｔａｔｉｏｎｏｆｔｈｅｓａｍｅｐｅｒｉｏ...     

Disaster Reduction in the Last Decade by the Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health has been an active participant in the activities of the International Decadefor Natural Disaster Reduction.Following the assignment of the Government,the Ministry hastaken the responsibility of conducting disaster relief and disease prevention in cooperation withdepartments concerned,and effectively prevented the happening and spreading of major epidemicdiseases whenever the country suffered a catastrophic natural disaster.It has secured the healthand safety of the pe…     

Analysis and Prediction of the Causesto the 1998 Flood in China

１ＡｎａｌｙｓｉｓｏｆｔｈｅＤｉｓａｓｔｒｏｕｓＦｌｏｏｄａｎｄＳｔｏｒｍＳｉｔｕａｔｉｏｎｉｎＭＡＬＲＯＹＲ，１９９８１．１ＡｎａｌｙｓｉｓｏｆｔｈｅＤｉｓａｓｔｒｏｕｓＳｔｏｒｍＳｉｔｕａｔｉｏｎｉｎｔｈｅＲｅａｃｈｅｓｏｆｔｈｅＹａｎｇｔｚｅＲｉｖｅｒｉｎ１９９８ＡｄｉｓａｓｔｒｏｕｓｆｌｏｏｄｏｃｃｕｒｒｅｄｉｎｔｈｅｍｉｄｄｌｅａｎｄｌｏｗｅｒｒｅａｃｈｅｓｏｆｔｈｅＹａｎｇｔｚｅＲｉｖｅｒ（ＭＡＬＲＯＹＲ）ｉｎ１９９８．ＢｙＡｕｇｕｓｔ２０，ｈｉｇｈｆｌｏｏｄｗａｔｅｒｌｅｖｅｌｈａ…     

Coordinating the Relationship between Man and Nature—After-thoughts on the 1998 Flood Disaster from the Perspective of Disaster Economics

１ＴｈｅＣａｕｓｅｓｔｏｔｈｅ１９９８ＦｌｏｏｄＤｉｓａｓｔｅｒＡｌｔｈｏｕｇｈｔｈｅｆｌｏｏｄｆｌｏｗｏｆｔｈｅＹａｎｇｔｚｅＲｉｖｅｒｗａｓｂｙｎｏｍｅａｎｓｔｈｅｌａｒｇｅｓｔｉｎｈｉｓｔｏｒｙ，ｔｈｅｗａｔｅｒｌｅｖｅｌｏｆｔｈｅｆｌｏｏｄｈ...     

Comparative Analysis on 1998/1954 Precipitation along the Yangtze River and Discussion on the Causes to the 1998 Flood

１ＴｈｅＡｂｎｏｒｍａｌＩｎｃｒｅａｓｅｉｎｔｈｅＰｒｅｃｉｐｉｔａｔｉｏｎｏｆｔｈｅＦｌｏｏｄＳｅａｓｏｎｉｎ１９９８Ｄｕｅｔｏｔｈｅａｂｎｏｒｍａｌｉｔｙｏｆｔｈｅｓｕｂ－ｔｒｏｐｉｃａｌｈｉｇｈｐｒｅｓｓｕｒｅｉｎｔｈｅｗｅｓｔＰａｃｉｆｉｃＯ...     

Strengthen the City's Ability of Disaster Prevention and Reduction in the Urbanization Process

Since1990's,thecontinueddevelopmentstrategyhasbeenacceptedgraduallybythewholeworld.Theconceptthat"thedevelopmentshouldnotonlymeettheneedsofpeopletoday,butalsoshouldnotconstituteathreattomeetingtheabilityofdemandsofthefuturegenerations"acontinueddevelopmentconceptwillbecomeoneofthebasicconceptsthatwillleapoverthecen-tury.Thestrategyofpromotingourcountrybyscienceandeducationandthecontinueddevelop-mentstrategyaretwobigstrategiesofcountry'sdevelopmentwhichareformulatedintheninthfive-year-planandth…     

The Sea Level Rising along the Coastal Fragile Regions and the Prevention Benefit Evaluation

Ａｔｐｒｅｓｅｎｔ，ｔｈｅｉｓｓｕｅｏｆｔｈｅｇｌｏｂａｌｃｌｉｍａｔｅｃｈａｎｇｅｓｈａｓｂｒｏｕｇｈｔａｂｏｕｔｇｒｅａｔｃｏｎｃｅｒｎａｌｏｖｅｒｔｈｅｗｏｒｌｄ．Ａｓｅｒｉｅｓｏｆｅｃｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌｖａｒｉａｔｉｏｎｓｃａｕｓｅｄｂｙｔｅｍ...     

An Integrated Flood Disaster Prevention System for the Sustainable Development of the Yangtze River Basin

An overview of the flooding history of the Yangtze River Basin (YRB) indicates the tendency ofmore frequent occurrence of flood disasters in the area due to intensified human activities anddeterioration of the ecological environment of waters.According to records,flood disastersoccurred every83years in YRB before1 5 2 4,while during the period1 5 2 5～ 1 85 1 the frequencyincreased up to once every2 0 years on the average.It further increased to once every5 yearsduring 1 92 5～ 1 949and onc…     

The International Seminar Convened in Beijing on the Promulgation and the Implementation of“Natural Disaster Reduction Plan of the People's Republic of China”

ＴｈｅＩｎｔｅｒｎａｔｉｏｎａｌＳｅｍｉｎａｒＣｏｎｖｅｎｅｄｉｎＢｅｉｊｉｎｇｏｎｔｈｅＰｒｏｍｕｌｇａｔｉｏｎａｎｄｔｈｅＩｍｐｌｅｍｅｎｔａｔｉｏｎｏｆ＂ＮａｔｕｒａｌＤｉｓ┐ａｓｔｅｒＲｅｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＰｌａｎｏｆｔｈｅＰｅｏｐｌｅ＇ｓＲｅｐ...     

A Summary Account of the Natural Disaster Situations in the First Half of 1997 in China

Inthefirsthalfof1997,therehadbeendifferentkindsofnaturalcalamitiesstrikingseveralpartsofChinasuchasdisastersofsnow,earthquake,drought,windandhail,raingust,floodsandwaterlogging,andicerun.ClosingJune30,thepopulationaffectedbyvariouskindsofdisastersreachedasmanyas76.72millionpeopleand39.84millionpeopleweredirectvictimsofthesedisasters.1,119peoplediedand24,000peoplewereinjured.Apopulationof630,000wasbesiegedbyfloods;809,000housesweredestroyed;26.7millionhaofcropsweredamagedand890,000peoplehadtobe…     

Statement at the IDNDR Programme Forum 1999

MrChairman,DistinguishedSecretaryGeneraloftheUnitedNations,YourExcellencies,Distinguishedguests,LadiesandGentlemen,ItisindeedanhonourandaprivilegeformetoaddressthisForum,onasubjectofincreasingconcerntohumanity.OnbehalfoftheWorldMeteorologicalOrganiza...     

Learning from the China Disaster Reduction Experience

Ｂａｃｋｇｒｏｕｎｄ１．Ｗｉｔｈｔｈｅｅｘｃｅｐｔｉｏｎｏｆｖｏｌｃａｎｉｃｅｒｕｐｔｉｏｎ，Ｃｈｉｎａｈａｓｂｏｔｈｌｏｎｇｅｘｐｅｒｉｅｎｃｅｏｆａｌｆｏｒｍｓｏｆｎａｔｕｒａｌｄｉｓａｓｔｅｒａｎｄｒｅｃｏｒｄｓｏｆｔｈｅｓｅｅｖｅｎｔｓａｎｄ...     

Declaration of the Potsdam Early Warning Conference

ＴｈｅＩｎｔｅｒｎａｔｉｏｎａｌＩＤＮＤＲＣｏｎｆｅｒｅｎｃｅｏｎＥａｒｌｙＷａｒｎｉｎｇＳｙｓｔｅｍｓｆｏｒｔｈｅＲｅｄｕｃｔｉｏｎｏｆＮａｔｕｒａｌＤｉｓａｓｔｅｒｓｗａｓｈｅｌｄａｔｔｈｅＧｅｏＦｏｒｓｃｈｕｎｇｓＺｅｎｔｒｕｍｉｎＰｏｔｓｄａ...     

Should all disaster risks be reduced? A perspective from the systems concept of the edge of chaos

The field of disaster risk reduction (DRR) has risen to prominence since the declaration of the International Decade of Disaster Risk Reduction between 1990 and 2000. This decade provided the impetus for a change from the predominant paradigm of disaster response to that of disaster risk reduction as a means of addressing the underlying drivers that lead to disasters. In an effort to promote risk reduction, the UNISDR (the principal agency for disaster risk reduction within the UN structure) formulated policies and strategies to provide both conceptual and practical guidance as to how risk should be reduced. However noble the efforts, this paper contends that the current approach to and understanding of risk within the international community might not be cognisant of complex adaptive systems (CAS) concepts such as the edge of chaos. Specifically, this concept argues that risk (or chaos) within a system is actually a fundamental requirement to the functioning of all resilient socio-ecological systems. Therefore, the reduction of risk without an understanding of the role of that risk within the larger socio-ecological system might actually end up reducing the system’s overall level of disaster resilience. This paper aims to explore the concept of edge of chaos through a literature review of key theoretical works on the topic, followed by a discussion on its implications for the predominant paradigm of risk reduction within disaster risk management policy and practice.     

Linking the stressors and stressing the linkages: Human—environment vulnerability and brownfield redevelopment in New York City

This paper suggests that the mitigation of one hazard—soil contamination—can unintentionally affect vulnerabilities and perceived vulnerabilities to additional stressors in the local human—environment system through a study of brownfield redevelopment in New York City. This study employs a Vulnerability Scoping Diagram (VSD) approach to identify components that contribute to vulnerabilities and perceived vulnerabilities in the local community, based on the thematic analysis of 55 interviews with residents from four neighbourhoods with brownfield redevelopment activities in New York City. This analysis of resident observations and perceptions of post-redevelopment hazard conditions indicates how mitigating vulnerability to one urban hazard—soil contamination—has the potential to affect vulnerabilities and perceived vulnerabilities to additional hazards like flooding and air pollution because of the complex linkages among multiple stressors. A causal model of vulnerability to the unintended impacts of brownfield redevelopment is subsequently developed to further demonstrate the interactive linkages among exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity to multiple stressors. This study also provides measures that stakeholders can monitor and evaluate over time to track the socio-spatial and environmental implications of brownfield redevelopment and subsequent changes in the local human—environment system.     

Speech at the Seventh Plenary Session of CNCIDNDR

Comrades:Justnow,CornradeFanBaojunpresentedanexplanationonrelevantissuesregardingNaturalDisasterReductlonPlanofPeople'sRepublicofChina.MemberspresenthaveputforwardverygoodsuggestionsandcommentsabouttheimplementationandprefectofthePlan.WehaveagreedunanimouslysubmittherevisedPlantotheStateCouncilforfinalapproval.WecansaynowthatwiththeconcertedeffortsofalImemberorganizationsofCNCIDNDR,wehavecompletedtherevlewofthePlan.Now,IwouldliketomakesomecommentsonirnplementingthePlan.1ToRaisetheA…     

Strategy for Global Hazard, Risk and Disaster Reduction in the 21~(st) Century Following the IDNDR

IntroductionParticipantsintheIDNDRInternationalProgrammeForumhaveconcludedthatwhileconsiderableprogresshasbeenmadeincreatingaglobalawarenessofthefeasibilityofdisasterpreventioninthelasttenyears,muchmoreremainstobedone.Thisrequiresparticularlythatinte...     

Humanitarian Crises: What Determines the Level of Emergency Assistance? Media Coverage,Donor Interests and the Aid Business

This paper proposes a basic hypothesis that the volume of emergency assistance any humanitarian crisis attracts is determined by three main factors working either in conjunction or individually. First, it depends on the intensity of media coverage. Second, it depends on the degree of political interest, particularly related to security, that donor governments have in a particular region. Third, the volume of emergency aid depends on strength of humanitarian NGOs and international organisations present in a specific country experiencing a humanitarian emergency. The empirical analysis of a number of emergency situations is carried out based on material that has never been published before. The paper concludes that only occasionally do the media play a decisive role in influencing donors. Rather, the security interests of Western donors are important together with the presence and strength of humanitarian stakeholders, such as NGOs and international organisations lobbying donor governments.