For most of its existence, humankind has tried to make sense of, cursed, battled, and at times even invoked natural calamities over which it had little control. This unpredictability and uncontrollability stemmed mainly from the inherent design of nature and human ignorance. The cycle of fear and ignorance continued to take a toll on human lives and livelihoods, manifesting in various forms of devastation: the fury of nature and the vulnerabilities produced by systematic anthropogenic designs.

Millennia of evolution and experience — trial and error, divine injunctions, intuitions, reason, and, more recently, scientific inquiry — have gradually scrutinised natural phenomena and reduced their unpredictability, thereby diminishing the calamitous impacts that haunted humanity for most of its existence on the planet.

Increased predictability has enabled modern societies to allocate resources more effectively toward minimising potential losses, while infusing policy and practice with greater pragmatism........

© The Express Tribune