Anticipating the world’s most expensive natural disaster

Researcher Vaclav Smil warns that 'a higher degree of preparedness can make a substantial difference' when anticipating disasters. He writes about possible scenarios in case of a major Tokyo earthquake, and asserts that the economic damage would be devastating in the area.

Vaclav Smil does interdisciplinary research in the fields of energy, environmental and population change, food production and nutrition, technical innovation, risk assessment, and public policy.