Global health. The current scenario and future perspectives

288 For example, in 1984, Dr. Frank Pres s 49 , a notable American seismologist urged the global scientific community to make a collective effort to create a worldwide seismic network. Along with 25 other experts, Press was invited by the United Nations for preparing a report that would detail the project called “International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction” (IDNDR) (Revet, 2011:542). This report served as the direct precedent for formulating the Tokyo Declaration in 1989 (Revet ,2011), followed by a resolutio n 50 signed by 156 countries at the United Nations decreeing that this decade would begin on the last decade of the millennium (Revet, 2011:542). As mentioned before, these attempts to institutionalize global risk management represent sparks of hope within an extremely uncertain scenario which has recently been further strained by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. What has motivated institutional responses like Dr. Press’? What have these responses been? What objectives have they set and what level of achievement do they show? And perhaps the most unsettling question of all: Can we consider these instances sufficient to face anthropogenic or naturally occurring disasters? These questions will be addressed throughout this work. To do so, (1) we will examine some events that can be classified as disasters, (2) we will refer to the impact and damage they caused, (3) we will delve into the international response these disasters prompted and, finally, (4) we will outline a conclusion regarding the sufficiency or insufficiency of these responses in light of the global challenge they pose. Disasters: A preamble The literature on disasters is very extensive, as is the list of emergencies and catastrophes that have taken place throughout history. Seismologist Lucy Jones, in a suggestive book, has traced the history of disasters from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii (79 AD) to the present day, showing how each of these disasters shaped our world and civilizational progress 51 . In other words, disasters have accompanied us since the dawn of humanity. Another point worth noting is that, year after year, phenomena 49 Frank Press was a notable American geophysicist, scientific advisor to Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Carter, and three-time president of the United States National Academy of Sciences. 50 Resolution 44/236 of December 1989. 51 For an insightful historical study of the disasters that have changed the world, I recommend Lucy Jones’ book: “Desastres. Cómo las grandes catástrofes moldean nuestra historia” (2021, Editorial Capitán Swing).