David Etkin is an Associate Professor of Disaster and Emergency Management at York University, Toronto Canada. He has contributed to several national and international natural hazard projects including the 2nd U.S. national assessment of natural hazards, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), two NATO workshops, was Principal Investigator of the Canadian National Assessment of Natural Hazards, and is Past President of the Canadian Risk and Hazards Network. His research interests focus on disaster management, risk and climate change. He has over 80 publications to his credit, including 6 edited volumes.