Share

The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation contributed a set of seismic risk maps to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) for the newly released Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR2025). The maps are part of the seismic risk analysis featured in Chapters 3, 4 and 5 of the report, titled “The path to resilience in a volatile world”, “What disasters really cost and why building resilience is worth it”, and “Future risk and the choices ahead”, respectively. 

Drawing from GEM’s 2023 global seismic risk model, the maps include estimates of average annual losses (AAL) and fatalities, risk projections to 2050 under future exposure scenarios, and a new metric assessing the embodied carbon associated with earthquake-related damage. These data expand the understanding of seismic risk beyond economic and human losses by also considering long-term environmental consequences. 

The report underscores how systemic risk continues to evolve due to demographic shifts, exposure growth, and climate-related changes. In this context, GEM’s data offer a science-based foundation for risk-informed investment strategies, especially in urban areas expected to expand rapidly over the coming decades. The inclusion of embodied carbon metrics in seismic risk analysis aligns with GAR2025’s broader theme of sustainability, encouraging integration of resilience and climate goals in infrastructure design and planning. 

GEM’s contributions were also highlighted at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) 2025, held in Geneva from 27–30 May. During a UNDRR-hosted Learning Lab, GEM Secretary General Helen Crowley presented the seismic risk maps and spoke on how open, accessible data can support public-sector investment decisions that prioritise both resilience and equity. 

GAR2025 is UNDRR’s flagship biennial report and serves as a critical reference for governments, donors, and practitioners engaged in disaster risk reduction and sustainable development. GEM’s participation reflects its ongoing commitment to making earthquake risk data actionable across sectors. 

Explore the GAR2025 report: https://www.undrr.org/gar/gar2025