University of Reading: Academics And Government Work Together To Address Failures In The Management Of Environmental Risks – Report

Complex risks to human health and wellbeing have been neglected by governments and NGOs because of a failure appreciate the complex nature of environmental risks, a new report warns.

The report, led by environmental experts at the University of Reading, funded by the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council and involving collaborators from Universities of Surrey and York and Defra, suggests that a more comprehensive system of risk management should be introduced to deal with environmental risks – considered by the UN and World Economic Forum to be among the greatest threats to human life and livelihoods.

Problems like air pollution, food insecurity and zoonotic (animal-borne) disease are complex risks, also known as ‘systemic’ risks. They are environmental in nature, but are influenced by multiple political, economic, social, technological and legal factors.