Adaptation to Risk

A risk is a combination of the probability of an event associated with its negative impacts.

Systems have multiple and heterogeneous ways of answering in order to reduce the impacts of risks. Adaptations generally consist in individual, collective, material or organisational responses ranging from genetic changes to cultural selection of norms or behaviours. Risk is transformed by the individual or societal responses it generates, thus leading to new feedback loops.

Hence, the issue of adaptation to risk requires to go beyond the mere analysis of risk considered as a simple juxtaposition of seperate systems defined by scientific classification and to develop more integrated methodologies that take greater account of human and social dimensions. Such models can be used to predict the impact of a risk that would be happening in a new environment, to test the resilience of societies and territories facing new extreme conditions, to identify the events that are the most likely to generate an inadequate response or a lack of response, and eventually to estimate the expected impact of risk mitigation or preventive measures. This should facilitate the development of interdsiciplianry modeling plateforms. 

Toulouse has strenghts reputed internationally in R&D in areas of Sciences of the Universe (OMP, METEOFRANCE) that have already collaborated with SSH teams on projects focusing on climate in the city (PIRVE, ACCLIMATE, EUREKA, MAPUCE, …). All these teams are involved in the XSYS to try and deepen their collaboration and participate in bringing Life & Earth Sciences towards a better understanding of adaptation phenomena.