ISWE5/About conference

About Conference

Wind-related events account for a large percentage of the world’s economic losses caused by natural disasters. Damage caused by extreme winds such as typhoons and tornadoes is clearly increasing. The number of severe wind induced damage incidents causing loss of life, serious societal impact and threats to national as well as regional security is also increasing, for instance, Hurricane Katrina in the USA in 2005, and Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, which caused a death toll of as many as 140,000 people in May 2008. The effects of rapid urbanization, global warming and climate change are now regarded as indirect causes of these disasters. Rapid urbanization and population concentration from the burgeoning economic development in the Pacific-rim countries increase energy consumption and worsen air quality as well as thermal comfort in urban environments. In order to tackle these problems, it is essential to reduce energy consumption by utilizing building ventilation and also to reduce air pollution as well as heat pollution by actively promoting urban ventilation.