Cost of non-prevention of natural disasters

Client/Funding Institution

European Parliament

Abstract

Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and severity of natural disasters, with climate scientists projecting continued increases in temperatures and extreme weather events in the coming decades. This project reviews the existing literature on the exposure of EU Member States and regions to natural disasters, the associated economic, fiscal and wider socioeconomic costs, as well as the existing disaster risk management and prevention measures at EU and national levels. Furthermore, based on the literature it will assess how these costs are distributed among different public authorities, the insurance sector, households and the rest of the economy, as well as how these costs are expected to evolve according to available projections. This analysis will be complemented by in-depth territorial case studies representing different hazards, geographic settings, disaster magnitudes, response scales, socioeconomic characteristics and governance contexts.

Duration

October 2026 - April 2027

wiiw team Leader

Bernhard Schütz

wiiw Staff

Virág Bittó, Corinna Covi, Meryem Gökten, Francesca Guadagno, Philipp Heimberger, Anna Matzner, Ambre Maucorps, Oliver Reiter

Countries covered: EU

Research Areas: Regional Development

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