ABSTRACT
In the early twenty-first century, the earth supports a human population that is more numerous and – generally – healthier and wealthier than ever before. At the same time, there is an unprecedented awareness of the risks that face people and what they value. Some of this concern is associated with the death and destruction caused by ‘natural’ hazards like earthquakes and floods. Other anxieties focus on threats that originate in the built environment like industrial accidents and other failures of technology that are seen as ‘man-made’. In addition, there are concerns about individual ‘lifestyle’ risks, like smoking cigarettes and food safety, together with global-scale dangers, like climate change and terrorism.
