The 2018 edition of the World Risk Report, developed by the United Nation University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security and published yearly the German Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft, has named Malta, once again, as the world’s second-safest country in terms of its exposure to and ability to cope with natural disasters.
The collaborative report lists Malta in second place in terms of safety from natural disasters, and just below Qatar, which was once again deemed the safest place to live in 2018.
Vanuatu, Tonga, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Guyana topped a 173-nation ranking of disaster risks and how societies cope.
While the Maltese face an overall 0.57 per cent chance of falling victim to a natural disaster and those living in Qatar a 0.36 per cent chance, a fellow island dweller in Vanuatu faces a whopping 50.28 per cent chance and of Tonga a 29.42 per cent chance.
Both Malta and Qatar, according to the report, have very low exposure to earthquakes, floods or rising sea levels and their societies and infrastructure are well prepared to tackle such events should they come to pass.
The index calculates disaster risk by the extent to which countries are exposed to natural hazards such as drought, storms or earthquakes, and by the degree of their vulnerability. The latter depends on social factors − such as, in particular, nutrition, public infrastructure, health care, governance, education levels and the state of the environment.
The index is broken down into four subcategories:
· Exposure to natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, droughts and rising sea levels.
· Infrastructure susceptibility in terms of food, housing, and economy.
· Coping capacity in terms of governance meaning lack of early warning systems, medical care, and security
· Countries’ adaptive capacities to future natural events and climate change
This year’s report applied a special focus to the plight of children, observing that children are particularly at risk of physical injury and death during disaster resulting from extreme natural events such as earthquakes and cyclones.
“In the chaos following natural disasters, the rights of young people guaranteed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child are often neglected to the point of criminality,” says Peter Mucke, project head of the World Risk Report and Executive Director of Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft. “In extreme situations like these, children require better support, for instance, in the form of child protection centers, where they receive food, care, and education.” Angelika Böhling, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft, emphasizes: “Children should play an active role not only in overcoming crises, but also in preventing them.”
“Of the 15 countries with the highest risk, nine are island nations,” says Katrin Radtke, Professor at IFHV and scientific director of the report. “Of the 15 countries with the highest societal vulnerability, 13 are on the African continent.”
The IFHV calculated and methodically updated the World Risk Index this year for the first time. Pierre Thielbörger, Executive Director of IFHV, points to the importance of comparing disaster risks on a global level: “The drought in Europe this summer showed once again that societies’ preparation for extreme natural events is key.”
This year’s report included the input of the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) of Ruhr University Bochum.