ENHANS in Asia and the Pacific

The Extreme Natural Hazards and Societal Implications (ENHANS) Project of International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) launched in 2010 is supported by several ICSU bodies including the ICSU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. It aims to (i) to improve understanding of critical phenomena associated with extreme natural events and to analyse impacts of the natural hazards on sustainable development of society; (ii) to promote studies on prediction of extreme events reducing predictive uncertainty and on natural hazards mitigation; to bring the issues into the political and economical policies; (iii) to disseminate knowledge and data on natural hazards for the advancement of research and education in general and especially in developing countries. It is funded largely by the ICSU Small Grants Programme. In conjunction with the 25th General Assembly of the IUGG in Melbourne, Australia, ENHANS held two symposia to discuss major challenges in natural hazards research, risk analysis and ways for solutions, and an open science forum to discuss how integration of knowledge may be achieved to reduce loss of lives and property arising from hazards and disasters through better policy and decision-making. For more details please read the full report of the ENHANS meeting in Melbourne.