Cellular Telephones and Natural Disaster Vulnerability

Hideki Toya,Mark Skidmore

doi:10.3390/su10092970

Abstract

A global revolution in information and communication technologies (ICT) has occurred over the past few decades, emerging first in industrialized countries and then in developing countries. While researchers have examined many facets of the ICT revolution, relatively little work has systematically examined the degree to which ICT has reduced natural disaster vulnerability. In this article we use cross-country data over the 1980–2013 period to estimate the relationship between newly-emerging cell phone access/use and disaster-induced fatalities. Our estimates suggest that a one-standard-deviation increase in cell phone usage reduces disaster fatalities by nearly one half. The estimated effect increases to almost three quarters for geologic events where people are typically afflicted without warning. The largest marginal benefit from cell phones in terms of saving lives come from events where there is typically no warning, thus, many are caught by surprise; cell phones are used to call for help and coordinate assistance.

Highlights

The consensus among a majority of climate scientists is that we should expect an increase in both the number and severity of climatic events
We present a base regression in which only our measure of cell phone use is included, along with a baseline set of control variables
We examined the degree to which the emergence of cell phones has helped to reduce natural disaster-induced fatalities

Summary

Introduction

The consensus among a majority of climate scientists is that we should expect an increase in both the number and severity of climatic events. It is, important that societies consider a full range of measures to protect and sustain life—use of technology is one important factor. In recent decades societies have been transformed by the information/communication technological (ICT) revolution. Emerging technology has made communications and information more accessible than in any period in history. While the ICT revolution blossomed in the industrialized world, the most dramatic impacts have been experienced in developing countries, enabling the expansion of vast communications networks without traditional cable infrastructures. We examine the degree to which changes in ICT have resulted in fewer lives lost when natural disasters strike

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Conclusion