Includes bibliographical references and index.

Risk in Extreme Environments presents a wide-ranging discussion of approaches for assessing and managing extreme risks. Extreme events are not only severe, but also outside the normal range of experience of the system in question, and can include environmental catastrophe; engineering failure; and nuclear or other extreme terrorism. The book focuses on synthesizing research results in a way that provides insights useful to decision makers, and enables them to ask probing questions about the risks faced by their organizations, identify creative solutions, and minimize the neglect of extreme risks that can come from an excessive focus on mundane or ordinary management challenges.

The book includes case studies on nuclear power, infectious diseases, and global catastrophic risks. The chapter authors include experts in economics, engineering, geography, law, political science, psychology, sociology, and science in addition to risk analysis.

Risk in Extreme Environments is an accessible and valuable resource for risk managers and other decision makers responsible for complex business and government decisions, while also providing enough detail and references to be informative for risk analysts interested in learning more about technical aspects of the various methods.