Ilan Kelman is a Professor of Disasters and Health at University College London, England and a Professor II at the University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway. His overall research interest is linking disasters and health, including the integration of climate change into disaster research and health research. That covers three main areas: (i) disaster diplomacy and health diplomacy http://www.disasterdiplomacy.org ; (ii) island sustainability involving safe and healthy communities in isolated locations http://www.islandvulnerability.org ; and (iii) risk education for health and disasters http://www.riskred.org
Ilan’s debut trade book, Disaster by Choice: How our actions turn natural hazards into catastrophes, was published by OUP in 2020. Praise for Disaster by Choice includes:
“Disaster by Choice demonstrates in a vivid and engaging way why big issues like the current climate crisis, where people are starting to accept that their actions can contribute to a collective result on a global scale, are just the tip of the iceberg.” ― Dominic Lenton, Engineering & Technology
“This is an excellent little book that crystallises ideas about the influence and impact of human actions on natural catastrophes into a thoughtful and informative narrative, concluding – and rightly so – that there is no such thing as a natural disaster. A must-read book.” ― Professor Bill McGuire, author of Waking the Giant
“This perfectly crafted and well written book … is long overdue, much needed and greatly welcomed.” ― James Lewis, Buildings & Cities
