PART I: SETTING THE STAGE .* Chapter 1: principals and challenges for reducing risks from disasters - Howard Kunreuther, Michael Ussem .* Chapter 2: Acting in time against disasters: a comprehensive risk-management framework - Herman B. "Dutch" Leonard, Arnold M. Howitt PART II: Linking risk assessment, risk perception, and risk management .* Chapter 3: Forecasting and communicating the risk of extreme weather events - Geoff Love, Michel Jarraud .* Chapter 4: Cognitive constraints and behavioral biases - Séan Cleary .* Chapter 5: The five neglects: risks gone amiss - Alan Berger, Case Brown, Carolyn Kousky, Richard Zeckhauser .* Chapter 6: Can poor countries afford to prepare for low-probability risks? - Michele Mcnabb, Kristine pearson .* Chapter 7: The role of risk regulation in mitigating natural disasters - Bridget M. Hutter .* Chapter 8: Hedging against tomorrow's catastrophes: sustainable financial solutions to help protect against extreme events - Erwann O. Michel-Kerjan PART III: APPLICATIONS TO CATASTROPHIC RISKS .* Chapter 9: A financial malignancy - Suzanne Nora Johnson .* Chapter 10: Climate change: nature and action - Thomas E. Lovejoy .* Chapter 11: Lessons from risk analysis: terrorism, natural disasters, and technological accidents - Detlof Von Winterfeldt .* Chapter 12: Turning Danger to opportunities: reconstructing China's national system for emergency management after 2003 - Lan Xue, Kaibin Zhong .* Chapter 13: Dealing with pandemics: global security risk analysis, and science policy - Jiah-Shin, Harvey Rubin PART IV: INNOVATION AND LEADERSHIP .* Chapter 14: Long-term contracts for reducing losses from future catastrophes - Howard Kunreuther .* Chapter 15: Developing leadership to avert and mitigate disasters - Michael Useem