Essay Review: Assessing and Managing Environmental Risks

Decisions about risk often involve controversial judgements. What is an acceptable level of risk? Who profits, and who pays? To answer these questions requires not only sound science but also sound judgement. Taken together, these two books provide inspiration for both researchers and practitioners of environmental risk assessment and management. Burgman takes an impressively interdisciplinary view, and considers the best decision-making tools and processes. Smith focuses on the means for managing risk and reducing disaster, within different socio-economic contexts. Although the two authors have much in common, differences in terminology pose some challenges. Smith loosely follows the international standard glossary of disaster management, agreement about which has stemmed from the need for rapid and unequivocal communication (UNDHA 1992; UNISDR 2005). Burgman goes beyond glossaries in proposing tools to achieve this. But both highlight important issues for the assessment and management of environmental risks.