Impacts of Natural Disasters and Disaster Risk Management in China: The Case of China's Experience in the Wenchuan Earthquake

Due to complicated climatic and geographic conditions, China remains severely vulnerable to frequent, wide-scale natural disasters. We analyzed the impact of natural disasters on human security, agriculture safety and economic security over the past 30 years. The results reveal the high vulnerability of China's economic system to natural disasters. Moreover, climate warming will further exacerbate the vulnerability of its social-economic development system to natural disasters and increase its risks. China needs to implement a comprehensive strategy of disaster reduction for sustainable development and include integrated disaster risk management in its policies. Doing so will reduce the vulnerability of China's socio-economic development system of natural disasters.