Aon Benfield and PartnerRe today announce the release of the popular annual re/insurance industry report, Hazard & Risk Science Review 2009, which showcases the latest developments in the field of natural hazard and risk science.
The Review, which is co-sponsored by Aon Benfield and PartnerRe and written by experts at the Aon Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre, continues to focus on the four main areas of hazard – atmospheric, geological, hydrological, and climate change related. It features summaries of more than 70 scientific papers published during the past 12 months, sourced by academics from Aon Benfield UCL Research Centre and natural catastrophe experts from both Aon Benfield and PartnerRe.
Now in its sixth edition, the report highlights that while there has not been a catastrophe on the scale of 2008’s Cyclone Nargis or Sichuan earthquake, devastating wildfires in Australia and the Abruzzo earthquake in Italy are a reminder that western developed nations are far from immune to natural disasters.
Meanwhile, other topics in the 2009 Review include:
- Simulations of earthquake ground motions for southern California and the Seattle area
- Update on future tsunami threat from volcanic landslides in the Canary Islands and Alaska
- Tsunami hazard for the Caribbean, the Oregon coast and Portugal
- Evaluation of future flood hazard in Rome and Venice
Professor Bill McGuire, Director of the Aon Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre, and co-author of the report said: “In this year’s Review, we present a digest of peer-reviewed papers that address critical issues, including hazard characterisation, forecasting and modelling that, together, seek to reduce vulnerability and exposure and diminish disaster risk. Our aim continues to be to improve industry awareness and understanding of natural catastrophes and the processes that drive them, to limit the number of shocks and surprises arising from hazardous events, and to help drive more informed business decisions on a day-to-day basis.”
Since its launch at the Monte Carlo Rendez-Vous in 2004, more than 15,000 copies of the Review have been distributed throughout the re/insurance market. The 2009 Review is available online at www.abuhrc.org, or for printed copies of both the current and previous editions, email rebecca.coombes@aonbenfield.com with your full postal address, or call (London) +44 (0) 20 7522 3850. The review can also be downloaded from the corporate websites of both Aon Benfield and PartnerRe.
