ABSTRACT
Understanding causality should be seen as a fundamental premise for disaster risk research as well as for disaster risk reduction practice. The increase in disaster losses is clear evidence that conventional explanations for disasters and what can be done about their causes are inadequate, frequently misleading, and may lead to inappropriate programs and insufficient funding. The basic notion behind a revitalized focus on root causes is well acknowledged fact that disaster risks are socially constructed, that is, that they are results of human choice or perception. The choices and processes involved are complex, suffused through multiple institutions and long-standing practices and beliefs. While it is more widely conceded that the degrees of exposure and vulnerability help to explain the continuing increase in losses and in disaster frequency and magnitude, there is no overall, systematic, and generally accepted explanation for the persistence and growth of these conditions.
