Reinhard Mechler

Research Group Leader and Senior Research Scholar

Systemic Risk and Resilience Research Group

Advancing Systems Analysis Program

Biography

Reinhard Mechler has over 20 years of experience analyzing and addressing socio-economic aspects of disaster and climate change risks. His interest is to provide evidence-based advice to a wide range of public and private sector decision-makers to improve decisions and build resilience against salient risks. Currently, he is the leader of the Systemic Risk and Resilience (SYRR) Research Group in the IIASA Advancing Systems Analysis (ASA) Program. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of Graz and is a senior lecturer at the University for Economics and Business in Vienna.

Dr. Mechler has led and contributed to many international research and consultancy projects and is currently leading research for the Flood Resilience Alliance, which brings together researchers, international NGOs, and the private sector to build disaster and climate resilience across the globe. He acted as a lead author on the IPCC's special report on managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation (SREX), the 5th assessment report and the report on 1.5°C global warming, and is currently a lead author on the IPCC's 6th assessment report.

Areas of Expertise: Socio-Economics of natural disaster risk management and climate adaptation, climate risk and resilience, disaster risk management and climate change policy, loss and damage, climate finance.

Last update: 24 MAR 2021

Publications

Mechler, R. (2003). Natural disaster risk and cost-benefit analysis. In: The Future of Disaster Risk: Building Safer Cities. Eds. Kreimer, A., Arnold, M., & Carlin, A., DC: The World Bank Washington. ISBN 0-8213-5497-3

Mechler, R. (2003). Review of Causes and Impacts of Natural Disasters. Paper presented at the Marmara University/World Bank Institute workshop on The Role of Local Governments in Reducing the Risk of Disasters, 28 April - 2 May 2003, Istanbul, Turkey [2003]

Freeman, P.K., Martin, L.A., Mechler, R. , & Warner-Merl, N.K. (2003). A methodology for incorporating natural catastrophes into macroeconomic projections. In: Proceedings of the Joint NEDIES and University of Twente Workshop "In search of a common methodology for damage estimation", 23-24 May 2003.

Mechler, R. , Amann, M. , & Schoepp, W. (2002). A Methodology to Estimate Changes in Statistical Life Expectancy Due to the Control of Particulate Matter in Air Pollution. IIASA Interim Report. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: IR-02-035

Freeman, P.K., Martin, L.A., Linnerooth-Bayer, J., Mechler, R. , Saldana, S., Warner-Merl, N.K., & Pflug, G.C. (2002). National Systems for Comprehensive Disaster Management: Financing Reconstruction. Phase II Background Study for the Inter-American Development Bank Regional Policy Dialogue. Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, DC, USA [2002]