Editor's Summary
15 December 2005
A year of living dangerously
The recent spate of unexpected natural disasters is a reminder that predicting events in the natural world is an uncertain science. But with thousands of lives and millions of dollars at risk, both policy makers and insurance businesses have a keen interest in developing the science further. With the best geological and meteorological knowledge to hand, experts are starting to quantify risk more effectively. But the news is not good, with one expert claiming that we can expect three to five major events per year, each killing more than 50,000 people.
News Feature: Natural disasters: The chaos to come
Natural disasters have wreaked havoc on the planet in the past twelve months, and some say that things will only get worse. Quirin Schiermeier assesses the world's growing vulnerability to catastrophe.
doi:10.1038/438903a
