The global emergency: A cross-disciplinary approach to risk

Industry is well used to dealing with and managing risk from multiple threats and has a history of catastrophic events whose consequences often transcend the immediate physical event. In the current global emergency, can the experiences of Industry be used to design controls and mitigation techniques against the modern emergent threats of CBRN and cyber terrorism? While current risk paradigms are not well suited to the assessment of these new threats, the development of a new risk framework has shown the necessary attributes to quantify catastrophic risk. The implications to the global emergency are that risk assessment tools can be developed for threat analysis and for emergency responders from CBRN terrorism. The challenge is to provide a system that can adapt within the time frames of a change in threat. Part of this challenge is to harness sensor and monitoring technologies and integrate into a computer network required for analysis of the risk. Another challenge is communicating catastrophic risk. This can be assisted by the development of new risk tools. Perception and subjectivity play a significant role in failure of risk communication. Tools that allow testing of perception and subjectivity would be particularly valuable. Risk systems that can demonstrate the benefit of alternative approaches to control are more likely to be adopted by industry. Recommendation 1: Create multidisciplinary teams involving Industry and Governments to understand the interdependencies of industrial, governmental and societal systems against a broad spectrum of consequences of CBRN terrorism and to foster debate on the appropriateness of alternative control methods and systems. Recommendation 2: Create the environment to harness international scientific and technology research and knowledge to develop integrated tools for assessment of risk that allows quick global deployment across Industry and Governments. Recommendation 3: Create the environment for industry to harness international scientific and technology research to develop new methods of control and mitigation. While many governments have incentive schemes for collaboration, they are often insular and do not address many cross-cultural problems that are a root cause of terrorism. Recommendation 4: Develop new methods of rapid detection for releases of materials. The challenge is to provide methods for testing air and surface for contamination that are accurate with untrained testers and to provide feedback into computer networks for risk assessment. Recommendation 5: Develop international standards for openness in communication and transparency for governments and industry that protect national sensitivities and encourage scientific global collaboration to respond to the terrorist risk over the longer term.