“Disaster Immunity” - A New Concept for Disaster Reduction in Adaptation to Disaster Hazard Intensification

Hideo Oshikawa; Koji Asai; Kenichi Tsukahara; Toshimitsu Komatsu

doi:10.20965/jdr.2009.p0007

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JDR Vol.4 No.1 pp. 7-11

(2009)

doi: 10.20965/jdr.2009.p0007

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“Disaster Immunity” - A New Concept for Disaster Reduction in Adaptation to Disaster Hazard Intensification

Hideo Oshikawa^1, Koji Asai^2, Kenichi Tsukahara^3,
and Toshimitsu Komatsu^1

^*1Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan

^*2Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Yamaguchi University

^*3Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

Received:

October 10, 2008

Accepted:

December 28, 2008

Published:

February 1, 2009

Keywords:

disaster immunity, global warming, imbalanced state, unexpected disaster

Abstract

We introduce a new “disaster immunity” concept in place of conventional “disaster management capacity” that reflects dynamic transitions in society and nature more accurately than the fixed conventional “disaster management capacity” concept. Because awareness deeply impacts on disaster management, the new concept captures disaster dynamics and could play an important role in disaster reduction. Since global warming involves disaster hazard intensification, it is not enough to simply strengthen existing measures. As an example, Japan responds to particular temperate zone patterns through long-term disaster management infrastructures. Society and nature in Japan have disaster management capacity matching typical temperate zone hazards. A rapid transition to subtropical climate patterns within the next several decades to a century is expected to generate large gaps between disaster hazards and disaster management capacity of human society and nature, leading to an imbalance. Under unstable conditions, society and nature have become increasingly vulnerable due to decreased “immunity.” Increasing “disaster immunity” is thus an urgent and important issue.

Cite this article as:

H. Oshikawa, K. Asai, K. Tsukahara, and T. Komatsu, ““Disaster Immunity” - A New Concept for Disaster Reduction in Adaptation to Disaster Hazard Intensification,” J. Disaster Res., Vol.4 No.1, pp. 7-11, 2009.

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References

[1] IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), February, 2007.
[2] Tsuneyoshi Mochizuki, “On a concept of Disaster Immunity,” Personal communication, May, 2008 (in Japanese).
[3] Science Council of Japan, Committee on Planet Earth Science and Committee on Civil Engineering and Architecture, Subcommittee on Land, Society and Natural Disasters, “Proposal, Adaptation to Water-related Disasters Induced by Global Environmental Change,” June 26, 2008.
[4] Kazuyoshi Hasegawa, Tohru Araya, Takehiro Ogawa, Shunichi Kikuchi, Mikio Kuroki, Toshimitsu Komatsu, Hiroshi Saga, Yasuyuki Shimizu, Osamu Shimizu, Hiroyuki Suzuki, Yuichi Suzuki, Gaku Tanaka, Hitoshi Tanaka, Satoshi Tohma, Makoto Nakatsugawa, Shigemi Hatta, Yasuhiro Murakami, Toshihiko Yamashita, Takashi Yamada, Yasuharu Watanabe, Yasunori Watanabe, and Mutsuhiro Fujita, “An Outline of Heavy Rainfall Disasters in Hidaka Region, Hokkaido, by Typhoon No.10, 2003,” Annual Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, JSCE, Vol.49, No.1, pp. 427-432, 2005 (in Japanese).
[5] Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, JAPAN, “Impact of Global Warming on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Possible Countermeasures in Japan,” Report on Research and Development in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries No.23, 2007.

This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationa License.

[1] [1] IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), February, 2007.

[2] [2] Tsuneyoshi Mochizuki, “On a concept of Disaster Immunity,” Personal communication, May, 2008 (in Japanese).

[3] [3] Science Council of Japan, Committee on Planet Earth Science and Committee on Civil Engineering and Architecture, Subcommittee on Land, Society and Natural Disasters, “Proposal, Adaptation to Water-related Disasters Induced by Global Environmental Change,” June 26, 2008.

[4] [4] Kazuyoshi Hasegawa, Tohru Araya, Takehiro Ogawa, Shunichi Kikuchi, Mikio Kuroki, Toshimitsu Komatsu, Hiroshi Saga, Yasuyuki Shimizu, Osamu Shimizu, Hiroyuki Suzuki, Yuichi Suzuki, Gaku Tanaka, Hitoshi Tanaka, Satoshi Tohma, Makoto Nakatsugawa, Shigemi Hatta, Yasuhiro Murakami, Toshihiko Yamashita, Takashi Yamada, Yasuharu Watanabe, Yasunori Watanabe, and Mutsuhiro Fujita, “An Outline of Heavy Rainfall Disasters in Hidaka Region, Hokkaido, by Typhoon No.10, 2003,” Annual Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, JSCE, Vol.49, No.1, pp. 427-432, 2005 (in Japanese).

[5] [5] Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, JAPAN, “Impact of Global Warming on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Possible Countermeasures in Japan,” Report on Research and Development in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries No.23, 2007.

“Disaster Immunity” - A New Concept for Disaster Reduction in Adaptation to Disaster Hazard Intensification

Hideo Oshikawa*1, Koji Asai*2, Kenichi Tsukahara*3, and Toshimitsu Komatsu*1

Hideo Oshikawa^1, Koji Asai^2, Kenichi Tsukahara^3,
and Toshimitsu Komatsu^1