To Avoid Catastrophe

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Avoiding Disaster

John Laye
Avoiding Disaster Book PDF

Author : John Laye
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 271 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2002-09-03
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780471229155

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Avoiding Disaster by John Laye Pdf

The best thing you can do for your business is to be ready for anything When Disaster Strikes offers business leaders the peace of mind of knowing that their business is ready for any contingency, no matter how extreme. This guide is designed to be used as both a preparatory resource for when times are good, and an emergency reference when times are bad. This book gets managers up-to-speed on what they should be prepared to deal with and offers real solutions for putting those business continuity plans in place. From natural and man-made disasters to catastrophic computer hack attacks, When Disaster Strikes is the ultimate weapon for any manager determined to help the business survive no matter what.

Averting Catastrophe

Cass R. Sunstein
Averting Catastrophe Book PDF

Author : Cass R. Sunstein
Publisher : NYU Press
Page : 175 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2021-04-27
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781479808489

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Averting Catastrophe by Cass R. Sunstein Pdf

Best-selling author Cass R. Sunstein examines how to avoid worst-case scenarios The world is increasingly confronted with new challenges related to climate change, globalization, disease, and technology. Governments are faced with having to decide how much risk is worth taking, how much destruction and death can be tolerated, and how much money should be invested in the hopes of avoiding catastrophe. Lacking full information, should decision-makers focus on avoiding the most catastrophic outcomes? When should extreme measures be taken to prevent as much destruction as possible? Averting Catastrophe explores how governments ought to make decisions in times of imminent disaster. Cass R. Sunstein argues that using the “maximin rule,” which calls for choosing the approach that eliminates the worst of the worst-case scenarios, may be necessary when public officials lack important information, and when the worst-case scenario is too disastrous to contemplate. He underscores this argument by emphasizing the reality of “Knightian uncertainty,” found in circumstances in which it is not possible to assign probabilities to various outcomes. Sunstein brings foundational issues in decision theory in close contact with real problems in regulation, law, and daily life, and considers other potential future risks. At once an approachable introduction to decision-theory and a provocative argument for how governments ought to handle risk, Averting Catastrophe offers a definitive path forward in a world rife with uncertainty.

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster

Bill Gates
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster Book PDF

Author : Bill Gates
Publisher : Knopf Canada
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2021-02-16
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780735280458

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How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates Pdf

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NATIONAL BESTSELLER In this urgent, singularly authoritative book, Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical--and accessible--plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid an irreversible climate catastrophe. Bill Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change. With the help and guidance of experts in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, political science and finance, he has focused on exactly what must be done in order to stop the planet's slide toward certain environmental disaster. In this book, he not only gathers together all the information we need to fully grasp how important it is that we work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases but also details exactly what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal. He gives us a clear-eyed description of the challenges we face. He describes the areas in which technology is already helping to reduce emissions; where and how the current technology can be made to function more effectively; where breakthrough technologies are needed, and who is working on these essential innovations. Finally, he lays out a concrete plan for achieving the goal of zero emissions--suggesting not only policies that governments should adopt, but what we as individuals can do to keep our government, our employers and ourselves accountable in this crucial enterprise. As Bill Gates makes clear, achieving zero emissions will not be simple or easy to do, but by following the guidelines he sets out here, it is a goal firmly within our reach.

The Cure for Catastrophe

Robert Muir-Wood
The Cure for Catastrophe Book PDF

Author : Robert Muir-Wood
Publisher : Basic Books
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2016-09-06
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780465096473

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The Cure for Catastrophe by Robert Muir-Wood Pdf

We can't stop natural disasters but we can stop them being disastrous. One of the world's foremost risk experts tells us how. Year after year, floods wreck people's homes and livelihoods, earthquakes tear communities apart, and tornadoes uproot whole towns. Natural disasters cause destruction and despair. But does it have to be this way? In The Cure for Catastrophe, global risk expert Robert Muir-Wood argues that our natural disasters are in fact human ones: We build in the wrong places and in the wrong way, putting brick buildings in earthquake country, timber ones in fire zones, and coastal cities in the paths of hurricanes. We then blindly trust our flood walls and disaster preparations, and when they fail, catastrophes become even more deadly. No society is immune to the twin dangers of complacency and heedless development. Recognizing how disasters are manufactured gives us the power to act. From the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 to Hurricane Katrina, The Cure for Catastrophe recounts the ingenious ways in which people have fought back against disaster. Muir-Wood shows the power and promise of new predictive technologies, and envisions a future where information and action come together to end the pain and destruction wrought by natural catastrophes. The decisions we make now can save millions of lives in the future. Buzzing with political plots, newfound technologies, and stories of surprising resilience, The Cure for Catastrophe will revolutionize the way we conceive of catastrophes: though natural disasters are inevitable, the death and destruction are optional. As we brace ourselves for deadlier cataclysms, the cure for catastrophe is in our hands.

The COVID-19 Catastrophe

Richard Horton
The COVID 19 Catastrophe Book PDF

Author : Richard Horton
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 143 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2020-07-13
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9781509546459

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The COVID-19 Catastrophe by Richard Horton Pdf

The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest science policy failure in a generation. We knew this was coming. Warnings about the threat of a new pandemic have been made repeatedly since the 1980s and it was clear in January that a dangerous new virus was causing a devastating human tragedy in China. And yet the world ignored the warnings. Why? In this short and hard-hitting book, Richard Horton, editor of the medical journal The Lancet, scrutinizes the actions that governments around the world took – and failed to take – as the virus spread from its origins in Wuhan to the global pandemic that it is today. He shows that many Western governments and their scientific advisors made assumptions about the virus and its lethality that turned out to be mistaken. Valuable time was lost while the virus spread unchecked, leaving health systems unprepared for the avalanche of infections that followed. Drawing on his own scientific and medical expertise, Horton outlines the measures that need to be put in place, at both national and international levels, to prevent this kind of catastrophe from happening again. Were supposed to be living in an era where human beings have become the dominant influence on the environment, but COVID-19 has revealed the fragility of our societies and the speed with which our systems can come crashing down. We need to learn the lessons of this pandemic and we need to learn them fast because the next pandemic may arrive sooner than we think.

Flirting with Disaster

Marc S. Gerstein,Michael Ellsberg
Flirting with Disaster Book PDF

Author : Marc S. Gerstein,Michael Ellsberg
Publisher : Union Square + ORM
Page : 297 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2009-10-23
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781402776793

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Flirting with Disaster by Marc S. Gerstein,Michael Ellsberg Pdf

This analysis of catastrophes provides a pathway for those who want to foster truthtelling in their organization and head off disasters in the making. We tend to think of disasters as uncontrollable acts of nature or inevitable accidents. But are such incidents unavoidable or ever truly accidental? The authors of this remarkable book say we actually do have the power to prevent tragedies such as the flooding from Hurricane Katrina, the death toll from dangerous medicines like Vioxx, and the explosion of the Space Shuttle Columbia. Marc Gerstein and Michael Ellsberg insist that disasters need not be inevitable if we learn from history, prepare carefully for the worst case, and speak out when we see danger looming. This revelation makes their compelling study extremely valuable for readers in business, government, medicine, academia—indeed all walks of life. Flirting with Disaster will do for catastrophe what Blink did for intuition, and The Black Swan did for probability: provide a popular audience with an engaging, in-depth view of a complex and important topic. Gerstein and Ellsberg examine the culture of institutions: why even people of good will and inside knowledge underestimate risk; feel psychologically incapable of averting tragedy and unable to pick up the pieces afterward; and don’t come forward forcefully enough to head off catastrophe. They also celebrate those who go beyond the call of duty to save others, including Dr. David Graham of the FDA who courageously stood up to reveal Vioxx’s deadly effects. One such whistleblower contributes both a foreword and an afterword: Daniel Ellsberg, renowned for releasing the Pentagon Papers.

A Safer Future

National Research Council,Division on Earth and Life Studies,Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources,U.S. National Committee for the Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction
A Safer Future Book PDF

Author : National Research Council,Division on Earth and Life Studies,Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources,U.S. National Committee for the Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 85 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 1991-02-01
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780309045469

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A Safer Future by National Research Council,Division on Earth and Life Studies,Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources,U.S. National Committee for the Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction Pdf

Initial priorities for U.S. participation in the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, declared by the United Nations, are contained in this volume. It focuses on seven issues: hazard and risk assessment; awareness and education; mitigation; preparedness for emergency response; recovery and reconstruction; prediction and warning; learning from disasters; and U.S. participation internationally. The committee presents its philosophy of calls for broad public and private participation to reduce the toll of disasters.

The Challenger Launch Decision

Diane Vaughan
The Challenger Launch Decision Book PDF

Author : Diane Vaughan
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 622 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2016-01-04
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9780226346960

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The Challenger Launch Decision by Diane Vaughan Pdf

“An in-depth account of the events and personal actions which led to a great tragedy in the history of America’s space program.” —James D. Smith, former Solid Rocket Booster Chief, NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center When the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986, millions of Americans became bound together in a single, historic moment. Many still vividly remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard about the tragedy. Diane Vaughan recreates the steps leading up to that fateful decision, contradicting conventional interpretations to prove that what occurred at NASA was not skullduggery or misconduct but a disastrous mistake. Why did NASA managers, who not only had all the information prior to the launch but also were warned against it, decide to proceed? In retelling how the decision unfolded through the eyes of the managers and the engineers, Vaughan uncovers an incremental descent into poor judgment, supported by a culture of high-risk technology. She reveals how and why NASA insiders, when repeatedly faced with evidence that something was wrong, normalized the deviance so that it became acceptable to them. In a new preface, Vaughan reveals the ramifications for this book and for her when a similar decision-making process brought down NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003. “Vaughn finds the traditional explanation of the [Challenger] accident to be profoundly unsatisfactory . . . One by one, she unravels the conclusions of the Rogers Commission.” —The New York Times “A landmark study.” —Atlantic “Vaughn gives us a rare view into the working level realities of NASA . . . The cumulative force of her argument and evidence is compelling.” —Scientific American

Warnings

Richard A. Clarke,R.P. Eddy
Warnings Book PDF

Author : Richard A. Clarke,R.P. Eddy
Publisher : HarperCollins
Page : 294 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2017-05-23
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780062488046

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Warnings by Richard A. Clarke,R.P. Eddy Pdf

From President Bill Clinton's recommended reading list Publishers Weekly Bestseller Warnings is the story of the future of national security, threatening technologies, the U.S. economy, and possibly the fate of civilization. In Greek mythology Cassandra foresaw calamities, but was cursed by the gods to be ignored. Modern-day Cassandras clearly predicted the disasters of Katrina, Fukushima, the Great Recession, the rise of ISIS, the spread of viruses and many more. Like the mythological Cassandra, they were ignored. There are others right now warning of impending disasters—from cyber attacks to pandemics—but how do we know which warnings are likely to be right? Through riveting explorations in a variety of fields, the authors—both accomplished CEOs and White House National Security Council veterans—discover a method to separate the accurate Cassandras from the crazy doomsayers. They then investigate the experts who today are warning of future disasters: the threats from artificial intelligence, bio-hacking, malware attacks, and more, and whose calls are not being heeded. Clarke’s and Eddy’s penetrating insights are essential for any person, any business, or any government that doesn’t want to be a blind victim of tomorrow’s catastrophe.

Catastrophe

Richard A. Posner
Catastrophe Book PDF

Author : Richard A. Posner
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2004-11-11
Category : Science
ISBN : 0195346394

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Catastrophe by Richard A. Posner Pdf

Catastrophic risks are much greater than is commonly appreciated. Collision with an asteroid, runaway global warming, voraciously replicating nanomachines, a pandemic of gene-spliced smallpox launched by bioterrorists, and a world-ending accident in a high-energy particle accelerator, are among the possible extinction events that are sufficiently likely to warrant careful study. How should we respond to events that, for a variety of psychological and cultural reasons, we find it hard to wrap our minds around? Posner argues that realism about science and scientists, innovative applications of cost-benefit analysis, a scientifically literate legal profession, unprecedented international cooperation, and a pragmatic attitude toward civil liberties are among the keys to coping effectively with the catastrophic risks.

The Ostrich Paradox

Robert Meyer,Howard Kunreuther
The Ostrich Paradox Book PDF

Author : Robert Meyer,Howard Kunreuther
Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
Page : 133 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2017-02-07
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781613630792

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The Ostrich Paradox by Robert Meyer,Howard Kunreuther Pdf

"The Ostrich Paradox boldly addresses a key question of our time: Why are we humans so poor at dealing with disastrous risks, and what can we humans do about it? It is a must-read for everyone who cares about risk." —Daniel Kahneman, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics and author of Thinking, Fast and Slow We fail to evacuate when advised. We rebuild in flood zones. We don't wear helmets. We fail to purchase insurance. We would rather avoid the risk of "crying wolf" than sound an alarm. Our ability to foresee and protect against natural catastrophes has never been greater; yet, we consistently fail to heed the warnings and protect ourselves and our communities, with devastating consequences. What explains this contradiction? In The Ostrich Paradox, Wharton professors Robert Meyer and Howard Kunreuther draw on years of teaching and research to explain why disaster preparedness efforts consistently fall short. Filled with heartbreaking stories of loss and resilience, the book addresses: •How people make decisions when confronted with high-consequence, low-probability events—and how these decisions can go awry •The 6 biases that lead individuals, communities, and institutions to make grave errors that cost lives •The Behavioral Risk Audit, a systematic approach for improving preparedness by recognizing these biases and designing strategies that anticipate them •Why, if we are to be better prepared for disasters, we need to learn to be more like ostriches, not less Fast-reading and critically important, The Ostrich Paradox is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand why we consistently underprepare for disasters, as well as private and public leaders, planners, and policy-makers who want to build more prepared communities.

The Next Catastrophe

Charles Perrow
The Next Catastrophe Book PDF

Author : Charles Perrow
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 432 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2011-02-07
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 1400838517

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The Next Catastrophe by Charles Perrow Pdf

Charles Perrow is famous worldwide for his ideas about normal accidents, the notion that multiple and unexpected failures--catastrophes waiting to happen--are built into our society's complex systems. In The Next Catastrophe, he offers crucial insights into how to make us safer, proposing a bold new way of thinking about disaster preparedness. Perrow argues that rather than laying exclusive emphasis on protecting targets, we should reduce their size to minimize damage and diminish their attractiveness to terrorists. He focuses on three causes of disaster--natural, organizational, and deliberate--and shows that our best hope lies in the deconcentration of high-risk populations, corporate power, and critical infrastructures such as electric energy, computer systems, and the chemical and food industries. Perrow reveals how the threat of catastrophe is on the rise, whether from terrorism, natural disasters, or industrial accidents. Along the way, he gives us the first comprehensive history of FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security and examines why these agencies are so ill equipped to protect us. The Next Catastrophe is a penetrating reassessment of the very real dangers we face today and what we must do to confront them. Written in a highly accessible style by a renowned systems-behavior expert, this book is essential reading for the twenty-first century. The events of September 11 and Hurricane Katrina--and the devastating human toll they wrought--were only the beginning. When the next big disaster comes, will we be ready? In a new preface to the paperback edition, Perrow examines the recent (and ongoing) catastrophes of the financial crisis, the BP oil spill, and global warming.

What If We Stopped Pretending?

Jonathan Franzen
What If We Stopped Pretending Book PDF

Author : Jonathan Franzen
Publisher : HarperCollins UK
Page : 80 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2021-01-21
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780008434052

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What If We Stopped Pretending? by Jonathan Franzen Pdf

The climate change is coming. To prepare for it, we need to admit that we can’t prevent it.

Summary & Analysis of How to Avoid a Climate Disaster

SNAP Summaries
Summary Analysis of How to Avoid a Climate Disaster Book PDF

Author : SNAP Summaries
Publisher : SNAP Summaries
Page : 27 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2024-06-03
Category : Nature
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Summary & Analysis of How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by SNAP Summaries Pdf

PLEASE NOTE: This is a summary and analysis of the book and not the original book. SNAP Summaries is wholly responsible for this content and is not associated with the original author in any way. If you are the author, publisher, or representative of the original work, please contact info[at]snapsummaries[dot]com with any questions or concerns. If you'd like to purchase the original book, please paste this link in your browser: https://amzn.to/3km8KiW. What will happen if the world doesn’t get to zero carbon emissions by 2050? You may not want to know. Luckily, Bill Gates has spent billions of dollars finding out exactly what we need to do fix it. Join him in his highly-accessible guide to getting the globe to zero emissions by 2050. What does this SNAP Summary Include? - Synopsis of the original book - Key takeaways from each chapter - A breakdown of the five major sources of greenhouse gas emissions - Things we can do individually and collectively to halt climate change - How we can meet growing energy needs without harming the climate - Editorial Review - Background on Bill Gates About the Original Book: Bill Gates has a message for all of society: we need to get to zero emissions by 2050 or face catastrophic consequences around the globe. Increasingly severe weather, drought, famine, and the destruction of critical ecosystems—along with trillions of dollars of economic damage and millions of lives lost a year—are all things that await us if we refuse to listen. Luckily, he knows what we need to do to fix it. Gates takes the data behind every-day energy use and the science behind highly-technical energy innovations and provides an easily-accessible framework for anyone to understand the problem and the potential solutions. For those who already knew that climate change was a problem, his book is a great introduction into where we can go from here and a great way to drive the conversation about what might work best. For anyone who is skeptical of the science behind climate change, Gates isn’t here to convince you. He is here only to offer solutions to the biggest problem humanity has ever collectively faced. DISCLAIMER: This book is intended as a companion to, not a replacement for, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. SNAP Summaries is wholly responsible for this content and is not associated with the original author in any way. If you are the author, publisher, or representative of the original work, please contact info[at]snapsummaries.com with any questions or concerns. Please follow this link: https://amzn.to/3km8KiW to purchase a copy of the original book.

The 2030 Spike

Colin Mason
The 2030 Spike Book PDF

Author : Colin Mason
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2013-06-17
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781136555114

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The 2030 Spike by Colin Mason Pdf

The clock is relentlessly ticking! Our world teeters on a knife-edge between a peaceful and prosperous future for all, and a dark winter of death and destruction that threatens to smother the light of civilization. Within 30 years, in the 2030 decade, six powerful 'drivers' will converge with unprecedented force in a statistical spike that could tear humanity apart and plunge the world into a new Dark Age. Depleted fuel supplies, massive population growth, poverty, global climate change, famine, growing water shortages and international lawlessness are on a crash course with potentially catastrophic consequences. In the face of both doomsaying and denial over the state of our world, Colin Mason cuts through the rhetoric and reams of conflicting data to muster the evidence to illustrate a broad picture of the world as it is, and our possible futures. Ultimately his message is clear; we must act decisively, collectively and immediately to alter the trajectory of humanity away from catastrophe. Offering over 100 priorities for immediate action, The 2030 Spike serves as a guidebook for humanity through the treacherous minefields and wastelands ahead to a bright, peaceful and prosperous future in which all humans have the opportunity to thrive and build a better civilization. This book is powerful and essential reading for all people concerned with the future of humanity and planet earth.