How to Manage the Planet

Abstract

At least fifty developing countries face recurrent earthquakes, mudslides, floods, hurricanes and droughts, yet many do not seem to recognise this. Unless such countries stay engaged with increasing urbanisation, migration patterns and population growth, their citizens will be occupying high-risk areas in greater numbers than ever before, increasing their vulnerability to climate change, unplanned and rapid urbanisation, poor land regulation, complex supply chains, and non-sustainable use of natural resources and declining ecosystems. Resilience is the capacity to maintain essential services during a range of circumstances from normal to extreme. It is achieved through assets, networks and systems management to anticipate, absorb and recover from disturbance, while ensuring that the environment and ecosystem services are also able to recover to their original state.