The world is underprepared for disasters and governments too often respond only after they happen, according to a report published on Tuesday that calls for a review of risk management, AFP reports.

Flooding in Sydney, AustraliaPhoto: Mark Baker/AP/Profimedia

In 2015, the international community adopted the Sendai Goals to reduce casualties and damage by 2030 by investing in risk assessment, risk reduction and preparedness for natural disasters, whether earthquakes or climate disasters exacerbated by global warming.

But it is “highly unlikely” that these goals will be met, according to a report by the International Council on Science, which includes dozens of scientific organizations.

According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, more than 10,700 disasters (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, extreme temperatures, storms, etc.) have affected more than 6 billion people worldwide since 1990. At the top of the list are floods and storms multiplied by climate change, which account for 42% of the total.

These cascading natural disasters are “undermining hard-won development progress in many parts of the world,” the report said.

But “while the international community has been quick to mobilize following disasters such as the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, too little attention and investment has gone into long-term planning and prevention, be it strengthening building codes or establishing early warning systems,” commented Peter Gluckman, ISC. President, in a statement.

“The many challenges of the past three years have highlighted the fundamental need to be better prepared for future disasters,” said Mami Mizutori, UN Special Representative for Risk Reduction. “We need to strengthen infrastructure, communities and ecosystems now, not rebuild them later.”

Thus, the report draws attention to the problem of resource allocation. For example, only 5.2% of disaster response aid to developing countries between 2011 and 2022 was targeted at risk reduction, with the remainder allocated to post-disaster relief and reconstruction.

The ISC also calls for widespread use of early warning systems, noting that 24-hour warning before a storm can reduce damage by 30 percent.

A report released in late January by the UN General Assembly also said countries were “not on track” to meet the Sendai goals.