Humankind and Risk: a difficult history

Talking about catastrophes in the Anthropocene Era means tackling a complex and often misunderstood topic, difficult to understand for the general public. On the other hand, a greater and more widespread attention should be given to this theme, especially in relation to natural hazards and risk. The influence of the catastrophe theory does not seem to have sufficiently permeated the interpretive field of the natural sciences, more focused on the traditional systematic approach, antithetical to the systemic and holistic one that characterizes the methodological assumptions of contemporary research on complex systems. This chapter aims to analyze the salient characteristics of the relationship between society and disasters, highlighting those elements that condition social perception of risk as well as risk management. It is important, in our opinion, to focus on the clarity of communication and, above all, on the ability in arousing public interest, to make society aware of the urgent need to change the individual/community/social behavior in a sustainable way, with the aim to prevent natural risks and mitigating their effects.