The main focus of the book is on disaster reduction, a subject that is addressed from a multidisciplinary and comprehensive viewpoint. A recurring theme that is emphasized in every chapter is that disaster prevention and mitigation must be carried out by applying the lessons we have learned from nature itself. The book deals with disasters of dierent types: geological, climatic, and geological–climatic. Other subjects addressed include technological disasters and the environment, and social and economic sciences and their application to disaster reduction.