Impact Trust • Working glossary

Compound risk / compound events

Several hazards happening together and worsening each other.

Details

Our Take
Technical but describes a real pattern. Can be simplified in public commes. A heatwave during a drought during a pandemic. The important point is that compound events are not just additive -- the interaction between hazards produces outcomes worse than the sum of their parts.
Examples of Use
IPCC, DRR, climate science
Synonyms/Variants
Concurrent crises
Typical everyday wording
Multi-hazard events making each other worse