1. Preventology: Bring back prevention
Mickey Glantz
Raw thoughts

2. Adages about prevention
An once of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Look before you leap
Better safe than sorry
To be forewarned is to be forearmed
A stitch in time saves nine

3. Why care about prevention?
To reduce risk to foreseeable threats
To reduce exposure to threats
To avoid foreseeable problems
To work toward sustainability
a positive approach to coping with hazards
To minimize potential damage to life and property
Saves resources: people, income, property, assets, time
Protect public image
Protect people from harm
Prevent/reduce legal liability
Protect the environment

4. Prevention: the 3rd leg on a stool
To cope wit hazards and talk about adaptation and mitigation and not talk about prevention is analogous to clapping with one hand.

5. Political responses to climate change
The history climate change discussion
Early 1980s US focus was on prevention, not adaptation or mitigation
Adaptation was seen as ‘giving up’
Mitigation referred to softening the impacts of extremes
In mid 1980s there was a shift to adaptation and mitigation because of realization that they could not prevent global warming even if fossil fuel emissions were halted today

6. What’s in a word?
The climate scientists have commandeered the concepts of adaptation and mitigation
These are presented as the only 2 options with no mention of prevention

7. Prevention is the first step to a better future
Cannot prevent what has been emitted till now but can prevent new activities from contributing to the existing problems.

8. “Damnages” = known adverse impacts that are allowed to take place
Preventing also works hand in hand with adaptation and mitigation In a few ways:
We can focus on preventing the ripple effects of an impact of adaptation or mitigation.
Prevention is the 3rd leg of the tripod along with adaptation and mitigation
Prevent collateral damage

9. Can there be a culture of prevention?

10. Can there be a sub-field of prevention?
Prevention is more than just an early warning of a threat or a hazard