David Etkin

Prof. David Etkin is a Professor of Disaster and Emergency Management at York University's School of Administrative Studies. He holds a M.Sc. and B.Sc. from York University and a B.Ed. from the University of Toronto. His career includes 28 years at Environment Canada (1977-2005), roles as weather forecaster, meteorology instructor, and applied researcher in Arctic and climate studies. He led the Canadian National Assessment of Natural Hazards and served as Past President of the Canadian Risk and Hazards Network.

Research focuses on disaster risk assessment, disaster ethics, climate change adaptation, and systemic risk analysis. Key contributions include frameworks for ethical emergency management, interdisciplinary disaster theory, and climatological hazard analysis. Over 90 publications include two textbooks and edited volumes on natural hazards and emergency management.

His work bridges meteorology, policy, and ethics, addressing global challenges like climate change impacts on disaster vulnerability. Active in international collaborations, including IPCC contributions and North American environmental initiatives. Current research emphasizes institutional ethics in crisis decision-making and systemic risk evaluation.