Global, continental, and transboundary scale risk assessment for natural hazards: methods and practice

Convener: Dirk EilanderECSECS | Co-conveners: Philip Ward, James Daniell, Carmen B. SteinmannECSECS, Leanne ArcherECSECS, Sergiy Vorogushyn, Davide Zoccatelli

The purpose of this session is to: (1) showcase the current state-of-the-art in global, continental and transboundary scale natural hazard risk science, assessment, and application; (2) foster broader exchange of knowledge, datasets, methods, models, and good practice between scientists and practitioners working on different natural hazards and across disciplines globally; and (3) collaboratively identify future research avenues.

Reducing natural hazard risk is high on the global political agenda. For example, it is at the heart of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Paris Agreement. In response, the last decade has seen an explosion in the number of scientific datasets, methods, and models for assessing risk at the global and continental scale. Increasingly, these datasets, methods and models are being applied in collaboration with stakeholders during the decision-making process. As many natural hazard processes, particularly hydrological ones such as floods and droughts, cross administrative and national borders, risk assessment and management increasingly require consideration of transboundary systems, upstream–downstream interactions, and cross‑border cooperation.

We invite contributions related to all aspects of natural hazard risk assessment at the continental to global scale, focussing on:
- single hazards, multi- or compound hazards;
- all facets of risk, including hazard, exposure and vulnerability;
- risk mitigation under current and future conditions (climate & socio-economic), including nature-based solutions;
- case studies showcasing appropriate use of continental to global risk assessment data in risk management practice, including in transboundary contexts where shared basins, aquifers, or other cross‑border systems require coordinated action;
- novel globally-applicable approaches for leveraging global datasets and models to inform local risk assessment.
- challenges and opportunities in governance and integrated water resources management for transboundary aquifers and river basins;