'Quakes not increasing, but human risk is' - expert

'The numbers of people exposed to risk has risen from thousands to millions. None of these megacities or their populations enjoy the remarkable level of earthquake preparedness seen in Japan. [..] perhaps it will raise awareness of the pressing need to reduce the risk to humans in vulnerable cities across the world,' says Professor Colin Stark, geophysicist and geomorphologist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University in an editorial.