GAR 2015 Main Report

Sustainable development cannot be

achieved unless disaster risk is reduced.

GAR at a Glance

Between 1980 and 2012, 42 million life years were lost in internationally reported disasters each year. (The concept of “human life years” provides a better representation of disaster impact, as it provides a metric describing the time required to produce economic development and social progress.)
Over 80 per cent of the total life years lost in disasters are spread across low and middle-income countries, representing a serious setback to social and economic development comparable to diseases such as tuberculosis. ( → Part I )

If this risk were shared equally amongst the world’s population, it would be equivalent to an annual loss of almost US$70 for each individual person of working age, or two months’ income for people living below the poverty line: an existential risk for people already struggling for survival on a daily basis.
It also represents a significant opportunity cost for development, as these resources could be used to make investments in infrastructure, social protection, public health and public education. ( → Chapter 3 )

Expressed as a proportion of social expenditure, expected annual losses in low-income countries are five times higher than in high-income countries. The countries with the greatest need to invest in social development are those most challenged by disaster risk. ( → Chapter 3 )

This is a problem not only for low-income countries, but for middle-income countries like Jamaica and the Philippines and for high-income countries like Greece. Although countries like Jamaica and Greece have far lower relative risk compared to the Philippines, the overall impact on future development will be very similar. While economic growth will be mainly undermined in Greece, the challenge facing the Philippines is one of social development. ( → Chapter 5 )

	v Sustainable development cannot be achieved unless disaster risk is reduced. GAR at a Glance Between 1980 and 2012, 42 million life years were lost in internationally reported disasters each year. (The concept of “human life years” provides a better representation of disaster impact, as it provides a metric describing the time required to produce economic development and social progress.) Over 80 per cent of the total life years lost in disasters are spread across low and middle-income countries, representing a serious setback to social and economic development comparable to diseases such as tuberculosis. ( → Part I ) If this risk were shared equally amongst the world’s population, it would be equivalent to an annual loss of almost US$70 for each individual person of working age, or two months’ income for people living below the poverty line: an existential risk for people already struggling for survival on a daily basis. It also represents a significant opportunity cost for development, as these resources could be used to make investments in infrastructure, social protection, public health and public education. ( → Chapter 3 ) Expressed as a proportion of social expenditure, expected annual losses in low-income countries are five times higher than in high-income countries. The countries with the greatest need to invest in social development are those most challenged by disaster risk. ( → Chapter 3 ) This is a problem not only for low-income countries, but for middle-income countries like Jamaica and the Philippines and for high-income countries like Greece. Although countries like Jamaica and Greece have far lower relative risk compared to the Philippines, the overall impact on future development will be very similar. While economic growth will be mainly undermined in Greece, the challenge facing the Philippines is one of social development. ( → Chapter 5 )	Page 1 Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 ->Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 30 Page 40 Page 50 Page 60 Page 70 Page 80 Page 90 Page 100 Page 110 Page 120 Page 130 Page 140 Page 150 Page 160 Page 170 Page 180 Page 190 Page 200 Page 210 Page 220 Page 230 Page 240 Page 250 Page 260 Page 270 Page 280 Page 290 Page 300 Page 310