Addressing Disaster Risk Management in Meteorological Disasters Prevention and Mitigation in China

The number of meteorological disasters is increasing in China. When combined with upward trends in losses from meteorological disasters, it is clear that disaster prevention and mitigation at such large scales is unsustainable, in both human and financial terms.' Economic exposure to meteorological disasters is increasing faster than economic development, and the impacts of climate change on the severity and frequency of meteorological hazards will accentuate existing trends in meteorological disaster losses in the future. While support for effective disaster relief and recovery must remain, there should be a greater emphasis on disaster risk management (DRM). Such disasters prevention and mitigation strategies are widely perceived to reduce risk only if they are integrated into a wider national risk management strategy that tackles meteorological risks systematically. The ultimate goal of DRM is to create a less risky distribution of people and assets within a country or, where people and assets are exposed,, to make sure that adequate measures are in place to protect them from hazards.