FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 14, 2023

2023 BLUE PLANET PRIZE:
ANNOUNCEMENT OF PRIZE WINNERS
This year marks the 32nd awarding of the Blue Planet Prize, the international environmental award sponsoredby the Asahi Glass Foundation, chaired by Takuya Shimamura. Every year, the Foundation selects two winners,
individuals or organizations who have made significant contributions to the resolution of global
environmental problems. The Board of Directors has selected the following 2023 Blue Planet Prize recipients.

1．Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS （UK）
Born in UK: 15 July 1963
University of Plymouth, Director of the Marine Institute, University of Plymouth
Professor Tamara Galloway OBE （UK）
Born in UK: 6 February 1963
University of Exeter, Head of Ecotoxicology Research Group, University of Exeter
Born in UK: 7 September 1971
Professor Penelope Lindeque （UK）
Head of Science for Marine Ecology and Biodiversity, Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)(from left) Prof. Lindeque, Prof. Thompson, andProf. Galloway

Professor Richard Thompson, Professor Tamara Galloway,
and Professor Penelope Lindeque demonstrated theexistence of microplastics in the ocean, and have sincecharted their presence from the deep Ocean to the highest
mountains. They revealed microplastics are ingested byzooplankton and other marine species and have mademajor advances in understanding the effects of
microplastics on these marine organisms and ecologicalprocesses. They have influenced global legislation andaction, calling on the international community to develop
solutions that will help to address the growing problem ofplastic pollution in the Ocean.

2．Professor Debarati Guha-Sapir (Belgium)
Born in India: 11 November 1953
Founder Director of the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)、Université
Catholique de Louvain
Senior Fellow, Centre for Humanitarian Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthProfessor Debarati Guha-Sapir founded and led the development of the Emergency
Events Database (EM-DAT), the first data infrastructure of global disasters
triggered by climate change e.g. storms, geo-physical hazards e.g. earthquakes,
biological agents e.g. pandemics, and humanitarian disasters e.g. conflicts. EMDAT and her body of research over thirty years serves as a scientific foundation forevidence-based policymaking, used by many international organizations, national
governments, and research institutes working on climate change mitigation andadaptation measures; and disaster prevention and mitigation.
• Each recipient is presented with a certificate of merit, a commemorative trophy, and 500,000 US dollars in prize money.
• The Award Ceremony is scheduled on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at Tokyo Kaikan. Commemorative lectures
will be given on October 5 and 7, 2023, at the University of Tokyo and at Kyoto University, respectively.
• This press release and the photo of each recipient will be published at 11 a.m. on Wednesday June 14 on thewebsite of the Asahi Glass Foundation (www.af-info.or.jp/en).

Statements from the Award Recipients upon Notification of Selection
Prof. Richard Thompson, Prof. Tamara Galloway, and Prof. Penelope Lindeque
We are truly honoured to have been selected as recipients of the 2023 Blue Planet Prize. This award isfurther recognition that plastic pollution represents a global threat to the health of the Ocean, its ecosystems
and organisms, and the economies that rely on it.
Our interdisciplinary research has progressed from establishing the presence of microplastics in the marine
environment to developing techniques determining the risks presented by plastics and the chemicals they
contain, while providing solutions to prevent their spread and influencing global legislation around theiruse.
We continue to work towards a shared vision of a healthy and productive Ocean for future generations, agoal shared by the many scientists, students and partners who we have worked alongside over the past two
decades and more.

We hope our research continues to underpin innovation that fosters a more sustainable use ofplastic in a circular economy, and inspires individual and collective action around the use andmanagement of plastic in societies.

Professor Debarati Guha-Sapir
It is a great honour and a privilege to be selected as a winner of the 2023 Blue Planet Prize. The
Asahi Glass Foundation has identified environment and climate as the major challenges for world
development and has supported the work of many extraordinary individuals in the past. I am
grateful to be recognized in this pantheon and feel humbled by this appreciation.
My work focuses on natural disasters, in particular climate extremes which are on the increase. It
addresses the consequences of extreme events on individuals, families, and communities. Climate
disasters, such as floods, heat waves or cyclones, are on a sharp increase globally and havedevastating effects on the poorer and more vulnerable communities. My research aims to findpractical data-based solutions to protect high risk communities from the effects of such events.
Being awarded the Blue Planet Prize provides me with an extraordinary opportunity. It will allow
me to continue my work on improving evidence and data to reduce the impact of climate extremes
and help communities adapt all over the world.

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Report on the Selection Process (2023 Blue Planet Prize)
Nomination forms were sent to approximately 509 nominators in Japan and 947 overseas, and by the deadline,
we received a total of 182 nominations. The top three fields represented by the candidates, in order of number,were ecology (32), environmental economics and policy making (33), environmental ethics (25). The candidates
represented 41 countries.
After individual evaluation of the 182 candidates by each Selection Committee member, the committee wasconvened to narrow down the field. The results of their deliberation were examined by the Presentation
Committee. The Board of Directors formally decided to award the Prize to Professors Richard Thompson,
Tamara Galloway, and Penelope Lindeque; and Professor Debarati Guha-Sapir.
Laureates (1992-2023)

2008

Claude Lorius (France)
José Goldemberg (Brazil)

Charles D. Keeling (USA)IUCN—The World Conservation
Union (headquartered in Switzerland)2009

Hirofumi Uzawa (Japan)
Nicholas Stern (UK)1994

Eugen Seibold (Germany)
Lester R. Brown (USA)2010James Hansen (USA)Robert Watson (UK)1995

Bert Bolin (Sweden)
Maurice F. Strong (Canada)

2011

Jane Lubchenco (USA)
Barefoot College (India)

1996

Wallace S. Broecker (USA)The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (India)

2012

1997

James E. Lovelock (UK)Conservation International (head­quartered in the USA)2013

William E. Rees (Canada)
and Mathis Wackernagel (Switzerland)Thomas E. Lovejoy (USA)
Taroh Matsuno (Japan)
Daniel Sperling (USA)1998

Mikhail I. Budyko (Russia)
David R. Brower (USA)

2014

1999

Paul R. Ehrlich (USA)Qu Geping (China)

2015

2000

Theo Colborn (USA)
Karl-Henrik Robèrt (Sweden)
Robert May (Australia)
Norman Myers (UK)

2016

2002

Harold A. Mooney (USA)J. Gustave Speth (USA)2018

Brian Walker (Australia)
Malin Falkenmark (Sweden)

2003

Gene E. Likens (USA) and F. Herbert Bormann (USA)Vo Quy (Vietnam)

2019

Eric Lambin (Belgium)
Jared Diamond (USA)2004

Susan Solomon (USA)Gro Harlem Brundtland (Norway)

2020

David Tilman (USA)
Simon Stuart (UK)2005

Nicholas Shackleton (UK)
Gordon Hisashi Sato (USA)2021

Veerabhadran Ramanathan (USA)Mohan Munasinghe (Sri Lanka)

2006

Akira Miyawaki (Japan)
Emil Salim (Indonesia)

2022

Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Fourth King of Bhutan
Stephen Carpenter (USA)2007

Joseph L. Sax (USA)
Amory B. Lovins (USA)2023

Richard Thompson (UK), Tamara Galloway (UK),and Penelope Lindeque (UK)
Debarati Guha-Sapir (Belgium)

1992

Syukuro Manabe (USA)International Institute for Environment andDevelopment (UK)

1993

2001

2017

Herman Daly (USA)
Daniel H. Janzen (USA) and Instituto Nacional de
Biodiversidad (INBio)
Partha Dasgupta (UK)
Jeffrey D. Sachs (USA)Pavan Sukhdev (India)
Markus Borner (Switzerland)
Hans J. Schellnhuber (Germany)
Gretchen C. Daily (USA)For more information, please contact: Toshihiro Tanuma, PhD
THE ASAHI GLASS FOUNDATION
2nd Floor, Science Plaza, 5-3 Yonbancho Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo 102-0081 Japan
Phone +81-3-5275-0620, Fax +81-3-5275-0871
e-mail: post@af-info.or.jp, URL: https://www.af-info.or.jp

3Supplementary Information
Profiles of the 2023 Blue Planet Prize Recipients
Professor Richard Thompson, Professor Tamara Galloway, and Professor
Penelope LindequeMajor research achievements and activities
In 1972, Professor Edward Carpenter et al. reported a collection of plastic spheres with a diameter of 0.25 to
0.5 cm from the western Sargasso Sea. Reports on plastic ingestion by marine organisms were scarce before the1980s but have increased rapidly since the 1990s. In the 2004 paper "Lost at Sea: Where Is All the Plastic?",
Professor Thompson and colleagues identified fibrous polymers with a diameter of only 20 μm collected fromthe seafloor around Plymouth as nylon, polyethylene, polyester, and others.
They demonstrated that these ‘microplastics’ – the first time the term was used in this context – were widespreadin sediment and seawater in the northwestern Atlantic, and that the amount of microplastics in the ocean has
increased over time, as evidenced by comparison with preserved plankton samples from the 1960s. They also
indicated that various marine invertebrates ingest these microplastics.
Since 2007, Professor Thompson, Professor Galloway and Professor Lindeque have achieved significant
accomplishments by leveraging their interdisciplinary expertise and collaborating with each other.
Professor Galloway and Professor Thompson reported that microplastics smaller than 1mm have accumulated
in marine habitats1 and contaminated the shorelines at 18 sites worldwide through ingestion by organisms
around six continents from the poles to the equator. The researchers also found that the proportions of polyester
and acrylic fibers used in clothing resemble those found in habitats that receive sewage discharges and sewageeffluent, suggesting that a major source of microplastic pollution is through sewage containing fibers fromwashing clothes.
The uptake of microplastics by marine organisms such as mussels, worms, fish, and seabirds has been evidenced
since the first description of microplastics in the ocean, however the effects of these microplastics has not beenwell-documented.
Professor Lindeque and Professor Galloway, and their research groups, were the first to evidence thatmicroplastics can be ingested by zooplankton at the base of the marine food web2, and to document the harm tomarine copepods. They used bioimaging techniques3 to document ingestion and egestion of microplastics in arange of zooplankton.
In 2013 they reported that copepods, a type of crustacean, showed significantly reduced algal feeding inseawater containing 7.3 µm microplastics. They demonstrated that microplastics are ingested by zooplankton
at the base of the marine food web, impairing the feeding, growth, and reproduction of these marine organisms.
This shows the potential for microplastics to significantly impact marine life and the health of marine
ecosystems.
Through their research, Professor Thompson, Professor Galloway, and Professor Lindeque have highlighted
how microplastics are omnipresent from the polar regions to the highest mountains, and from rivers andcoastlines to the deepest ocean. They have tracked their sources – from plastic bags to microbeads4 in cosmetics– and studied their pathways via wastewater and rivers.

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Critically, they have focused on potential solutions framed around the circular economy and have evaluatednovel methods for reducing the leakage of plastics into the environment and the potential for natural andmechanical measures to remove plastic waste. They are currently collaborating on a major initiative exploring
how to prevent particles created by tyre wear from remaining a cause of environmental concern.
Professor Thompson, Professor Galloway, and Professor Lindeque are highly influential; some of their papers
have been cited more than 4,000 times and they rank among the top 0.1% of scientists in the field of environment
and ecology (according to the Highly Cited Researchers list by Clarivate). They have also raised publicawareness, informed policy-makers, and alerted industry about the dangers of microplastic pollution throughtelevision documentaries and other media, policy briefings, and presentations e.g. in Congress.
Furthermore, their work has been central to international government legislation and influenced the United
Nations Treaty on Plastic Pollution, signed by 175 nations in March 2022.
About the three recipients
Professor Richard Thompson
Professor Richard Thompson is a Professor of Marine Biology and Director of the Marine Institute at the
University of Plymouth5, and the founder of its International Marine Litter Research Unit. He began
investigating marine plastics in 1995 and has since extensively studied the spread, environmental dynamics,
and impacts of microplastics. His 2004 paper on microplastics in the ocean, published in the journal Science,
was the first of its kind and sparked a new field of academic research that has since expanded worldwide.
Professor Thompson is acknowledged as one of the foremost pioneers in the field of marine microplastic
pollution, conducting multidisciplinary research to understand the environmental dynamics and ecologicalimpact of this pollutant, as well as the social dimensions and solutions to the problem.
Academic and Career Background2018-present Director of the Marine Institute, University of Plymouth
2010-present Professor, University of Plymouth
2004-2010
Reader, University of Plymouth
2001-2004
Senior Lecturer, University of Plymouth
1997-2000
Research Fellow, University of Southampton
1996
Liverpool University (PhD, Ecology of Epilithic Microalgae)
1991
Newcastle University (BSc, Marine Biology)
Professor Tamara Galloway
Professor Tamara Galloway is a Professor of Ecotoxicology at the University of Exeter6 where she leads the
Ecotoxicology Research Group. She also holds an Honorary Professorship at University of Exeter Medical
School. She studies the biological effects of environmental pollutants on both humans and wildlife and is aworld-leading expert in the field of plastic ecotoxicology research. Her ground-breaking research has examinedboth the health effects of chemical additives in plastics and their effects as they break down into micro- andnanoplastics in the marine environment. Professor Galloway's work in this field has garnered the attention of
millions of people worldwide and has played a significant role in influencing policies aimed at reducing plastic
pollution and toxic additives, as well as contributing to the protection of nature and human health.
Academic and Career Background2008-present Honorary Professor, University of Exeter Medical School
2007-present Professor, University of Exeter
1997-2007
Senior Lecturer (0.5FTE), Principal Lecturer (2001), Reader (2005), University of Plymouth5

1990-1997
1986
1983

Career break
University of Edinburgh (PhD, Structure and Function of Cholera Toxin)
University of Glasgow (BSc, Biochemistry)

Professor Penelope LindequeProfessor Penelope Lindeque is Head of Science for Marine Ecology and Biodiversity at Plymouth Marine
Laboratory (PML7), where she leads the microplastic research group. She also holds an Honorary Professorshipat the University of Exeter Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy. She leads a dynamic area of researchat PML investigating the ecological impacts of microplastics and anthropogenic particles as emerging pollutants.
Professor Lindeque conducts cutting-edge research developing and using new analytical techniques, including
at the molecular level, to study the effects of environmental pollutants such as microplastics on marineorganisms and ecosystems, using knowledge gained to explore nature-based solutions. Professor Lindeque’s
research centers around zooplankton, and early evidence that microplastics can be ingested and cause harm tomarine copepods was integral to supporting international bans on microbeads7. Professor Lindeque is passionate
about disseminating research to a wide audience supporting the next generation of scientists and creatingwidespread awareness.
Academic and Career Background2019-present Honorary Professor, University of Exeter
2000-present Postdoctoral researcher (2000), Principle Investigator (2007), Head of postgraduate studies(2014), Merit Scientists (2017), Head of Science: Marine Ecology and Diversity (2019),
Plymouth Marine Laboratory
2000
University of Plymouth (PhD, Biochemistry)
1994
University of Bath (BSc, Applied Biology)
Notes:
1. Marine habitat
A marine habitat refers to any location in the world's oceans, seas, or other saltwater bodies where plants andanimals can live and thrive. Marine habitats include various environments such as open ocean, coral reefs,
kelp forests, rocky shores, estuaries, and salt marshes, among others. These habitats are vital for the survivalof marine species, and they also provide important ecosystem services such as fisheries, marine tourism, andcarbon sequestration by absorbing and storing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
2. Food web
A food web refers to the overall interconnection of feeding relationships (who-eats-who) in an ecosystem.
Plants make food through photosynthesis and are eaten by herbivores, which are then eaten by carnivores.
Decomposers break down dead plants and animals, returning nutrients to the soil. This relationship iscommonly known as the food chain. Since animals consume a variety of foods in the wild; and theinterconnections in the food cycle are complex and more like a web than a chain, we call it a food web. Everyorganism has a role in the web, and removing one can affect the entire system. Understanding the food web
helps us appreciate the importance of biodiversity and how all living things are interconnected in an ecosystem.
3. Bio-imaging technique
Bio-imaging technique refers to the use of advanced imaging techniques to visualize biological structures andprocesses at the cellular and molecular level. This includes technologies such as fluorescence microscopy,
electron microscopy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) scanning, among

6others. By using a bio-imaging technique, coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy,
Professors Galloway and Professor Lindeque revealed in 2013 that microplastics were being ingested byzooplankton.
4. Microbead
Microbeads are tiny particles, typically measuring less than 5 millimeters in diameter, which are commonly
made of polyethylene or polypropylene plastic. They are widely used in a variety of personal care products,
such as facial scrubs, body washes, and toothpastes. They are small enough to pass through water filtration
systems, and as a result, they can end up in rivers, lakes, and oceans, where they may be ingested by marine
life. Because microbeads do not break down easily in the environment and there are concerns about their
negative impact on the environment and human health, many countries have implemented bans or restrictions
on the use of microbeads in personal care products. As alternatives to microbeads, milled walnut shells, silica,
and cellulose are being used in personal care products as exfoliants.
5. University of Plymouth
The University of Plymouth is renowned for high quality, internationally-leading education, research andinnovation. A three-time winner of the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, mostrecently in 2020 in respect of its pioneering research on microplastics pollution in the ocean, the University
continues to grow in stature and reputation.
6. University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a globally leading, research intensive University and member of the prestigious
UK Russel group. The University’s purpose is to use the power of education and research to create asustainable, healthy and socially just future. The University won the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher
and Further Education in 2020 for its pivotal role in exposing the devastating effect that plastics pollution has
on the health of humans and wildlife.
7. Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)
Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) in Plymouth, UK, founded in 1988, is an independent, not-for-profit
research institute. As a world leader in the field of marine research, PML is committed to the delivery of
impactful, cutting-edge environmental and social science in support of a healthy and sustainable ocean.

7Professor Debarati Guha-Sapir
Major research achievements and activities
Professor Debarati Guha-Sapir is an epidemiologist researching the human impact of natural disasters at the
University of Louvain and as Senior Fellow at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is from
W. Bengal India - a region that has been among the most affected by catastrophic disasters and climate change
which motivated her research.
With a strong sense of mission, she worked early in her career to build a database infrastructure for a wide rangeof disasters, including mega-disasters related to global climate change, biological disasters such as pandemics,
and humanitarian crises such as conflicts. She took action to fill this evidence gap and founded and developed
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EM-DAT , the first database on major global disasters.
EMDAT was initiated in 1988, in the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) , and was
the first to set up a systematic and standardised framework for collecting impact data major disasters in theworld since 1900, quickly making it the most widely used data infrastructure in the field of disaster researchand policy. EM-DAT has become the foundation of scientific data, indispensable for evidence- based policy2

3making (EBPM) in organizations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) , the United
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Nations Agency for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) , the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), theWorld Health Organization (WHO), governments, and research institutes in various countries to implement
prevention, mitigation and adaptation measures, for climate disasters.
CRED is one of the world's leading research institutes for academic and policy research on disasters. It wasestablished as an international non-profit organization in 1973 by Professor Michel F. Lechat, an epidemiologist
at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL). Professor Guha-Sapir joined his team in 1984 and after extensive
field work on droughts and floods, she quickly recognised the central importance of systematic data on disaster
impact. She led the development of information systems for disaster relief measures, having identified very
early this gap in global systems. She released EM-DAT in 1988 and published a paper explaining its technicalaspects in 1992. She became Director of CRED in 1992, making swift science-based policy recommendationsin the face of emergency disasters around the world for the past 30 years. She has written countlessrecommendations, policy briefings, and academic papers in renowned journal such as The Lancet, Nature
Medicine and others. For example, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, she wrote a paper on
global poverty reduction in the journal Science and was involved in policymaking as a member of the United
Nations High-Level Policy Committee.
Examples of the use of EM-DAT include the "Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events andDisasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX)" by the IPCC, "Natural Hazards, Unnatural
Disasters: The Economics of Effective Prevention" by the United Nations (UN) and World Bank, the "Human
Development Report" by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the "State of the Global Climate" by
the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The contribution of EM-DAT is not just limited to thescientific understanding of the locations, frequency, and objective intensity of various disasters. As stated in
5"The Human Cost of Weather-related Disasters " by the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters(CRED) and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), it was epoch-making in that EM-DAT
enabled us to scientifically estimate the humanitarian and socioeconomic impacts of disasters and take concrete
countermeasures.

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After running a highly successful International Summer Course on Disaster Epidemiology, for many years,
Professor Guha-Sapir, launched in 2015, an advanced Master's program entitled "Public Health in Disasters"in collaboration with the Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm) and the University of Oviedo (Spain). This is one of
the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's programs, in which the European Union encourages students from bothdeveloped and developing countries to study and conduct research at European universities. The epoch-making
launch took place in Europe, and its significance was reaffirmed during the COVID-19 crisis, demonstrating
Professor Guha-Sapir's foresight. Her student alumni are now in key positions across the globe such as the UN,
governments and humanitarian organisations such as the Red Cross, around the world.
After over 25 years of leading globally influential disaster research in CRED and building quality evidence in
EM-DAT, Professor Guha- Sapir is now moving forward to innovative and collaborative data models focusing
on harmonizing inter- disciplinary databases on human and environmental impact of climate disasters.
Academic and Career Background1992-present Founding Director of the CRED and Professor at the UCL
1984-1992
Researcher, Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)
1989
Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), (PhD, Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine)
1977
Johns Hopkins University, USA, (MS, Epidemiology and Biostatistics)
1972
University of Calcutta, India (BA, double major Literature and Applied Statistics)
Notes
1. EM-DATEM-DAT is a global database of natural and technological disasters covering about 184 countries. Its main
objectives are to assist in humanitarian action at national and international levels, rationalize decision-making
for disaster preparedness, and provide an objective basis for vulnerability assessment and priority setting. In
the late 1980s, this was the very first attempt to standardise and unify data on human impact of disasters. The
system divides disasters into: natural disasters and technological disasters. The former category is divided into
six subgroups: geophysical, meteorological, hydrological, climatological, biological, and extraterrestrial, while
technological disasters are classified into three subgroups: industrial, transportation, and miscellaneous
accidents. All events conforming to at least one of the following four criteria: (1) 10 or more people dead, (2)100 or more people affected, (3) the declaration of a state of emergency, or (4) a call for international assistanceare included.
2. Evidence-Based Policy Making (EBPM)
Evidence-Based Policy Making (EBPM) is an approach to policy-making that emphasizes the use of highquality evidence and data to inform political decision makers. Its goal is to ensure that policy decisions are
made based on reliable and objective evidence, rather than on political ideology, personal opinions, or
anecdotal evidence. This approach can help improve the effectiveness of policies and programs, as well as
promote transparency, accountability, and good governance.
3. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an international body established in 1988 by theUnited Nations to provide policymakers with scientific assessments of climate change, its impacts, and therisks associated with it. The IPCC brings together scientists and experts from around the world to assess thestate of knowledge on climate change and provide regular reports summarizing the latest scientific findings.

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These reports serve as a key source of information for policymakers and are used for international negotiations
and policy decisions on climate issues at all levels of government.
4. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (formerly known as UNISDR), established in 1999, is
a UN agency that aims to reduce disaster risk and build resilience worldwide. UNDRR supports theimplementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. It is a roadmap for making
our communities safer and more resilient to disasters, and was adopted at the 2015 World Conference on
Disaster Risk Reduction. UNDRR and its partners produce the biennial UN Global Assessment Report on
Disaster Risk Reduction, which provides guidance on integrating disaster risk reduction into private investment
decision-making and public policy in urban, environmental, social, and economic sectors.
5. The Human Cost of Weather-related Disasters
In this report, the EM-DAT showed that 6457 catastrophic natural events occurred worldwide for the period
from 1995–2014. More than 90% of all natural disasters were linked to weather-related events, including floods,
storms and heatwaves. Over this period, weather-related disasters claimed 606,000 lives, an average of some
30,000 per annum, with an additional 4.1 billion people injured, left homeless or in need of emergency
assistance. In the period from 2005-2014, on average, 335 events took place annually, almost twice the 19851994 average.

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