The RSA WEEE Man challenges our throwaway lifestyle. "Design can be used to identify which communities are at risk and to develop strategies for minimising the impact of potential crises".

Adopt a practical attitude to risk

Life is not actually becoming more unstable on our planet, it just seems that way. The problem is that people are more exposed to cataclysmic events and are not using design to help them mitigate risk. Earthquakes and tsunamis are no more prevalent today than they ever were, yet the incidence of reported 'natural' disasters has risen sharply from about 100 a year in 1960 to 500 a year today.

While disasters can never be designed out of our lives, the errors in judgement and planning that amplify their effects can at least be reduced by design. Increasing numbers of people, especially in developing nations, are living in areas prone to calamity. Their shelters are the least able to withstand the elements. Unsustainable approaches to land use and water management only exacerbate the problem, turning a 'manageable' disaster such as a flood into a devastating tragedy. Design can be used to identify which communities are at risk and to develop strategies for minimising the impact of potential crises...

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