RUNNING THE RISK: Understanding life's biggest risks and how we build a safer future By David Burrett Reid

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​In a world brimming with uncertainties, from the seemingly mundane act of crossing the road to the complex web of global connections, risk permeates our daily existence. Running the Risk delves into the very fabric of our lives, posing crucial questions about the risks we face and offering insights that can redefine our understanding of safety and resilience.

 

From the historical roots of the concept of risk to the latest digital anxieties, each chapter unfolds a captivating narrative, weaving together major historical incidents and topical news events. Explore the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and witness the transformative power of risk perception. Travel to Fukushima and learn how a nuclear disaster shapes our approach to designing critical infrastructure. Uncover the complex dance between coastal communities and the rising sea levels in Senegal. Dive into the digital realm with the Cambridge Analytica scandal, revealing a new era of digital risk and anxiety.

 

Through riveting storytelling, Running the Risk invites readers to reflect on the risks we navigate and understand the global implications of interconnected threats. This exploration of risk is not just an expose; it's a guide to building resilience, making informed choices, and ultimately leading safer, happier lives in a world defined by constant change.

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'Entertaining and illuminating, this is odds-on to recalibrate your reasoning about every threat and opportunity. The only risk would be not to read it' Quentin Cooper, science journalist and host of BBC Radio 4's Material World​

 

'A must-read for anyone who wants to know about the risks we run in this highly complex world we're living in' Vincent Doumeizel, author of The Seaweed Revolution

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'I have been studying risk for more than sixty years and have seen a lot of books on the subject... Running The Risk is one of the best' Professor Paul Slovic, founder and president of Decision Research

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'A genuinely fabulous book... my bet is that this book will be talked about for years to come' Professor Richard Clegg, chairman of the Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk, National University of Singapore

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'A well-rounded book that draws on history in a thought-provoking way' Claire Fox, Baroness Fox of Buckley, panellist on BBC Radio 4's The Moral Maze and Director of the Academy of Ideas

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An expert in strategic communications, David Burrett Reid is a member of the executive leadership team of Lloyd’s Register Foundation. A former physicist, David is also passionate about communicating science and the need to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. He was the Director of The Times Cheltenham Science Festival and led public engagement for various organisations including the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Institute of Physics (IOP). He is the founder and executive chairman of Matter PR, one of the world’s only communications agencies specialising in helping science and engineering organisations. He is a Board Trustee of The Oxford Trust which encourages the pursuit of science, and The BRE Trust, an independent charity dedicated to improving the built environment for the benefit of all. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.