“To Leave Something (meaningful) Behind”: Honouring the Late Professor Douglas Paton and his comprehensive meaningful DRR legacy.

On the 24th of April 2023, the disaster sector lost one of its most influential leaders: Professor Douglas Paton. Douglas leaves behind an extraordinary body of knowledge and wisdom that will be increasingly valuable for humanity as disasters and climate change continue to increase. The body of knowledge and wisdom he created is rare and unique in many respects. It is a comprehensive yet nuanced transdisciplinary DRR knowledge ecosystem that weaves together systematic quantitative and qualitative research findings from multiple disciplines and practice using high-level conceptual post-formal thinking into coherent and concise theories and publications. This DRR knowledge ecosystem considers and weaves together the influence of all the key aspects and dimensions that influence DRR and ultimately health, wellbeing, survival, and growth. In this editorial, we as his main collaborators from around the world have tried to give a chronological overview of Douglas’ vast body of work to show how, over the course of his academic career, he systematically developed a rare comprehensive yet nuanced interdisciplinary understanding of DRR by researching and weaving together several key lines of inquiry. This overview also provides insights into how Douglas’ thinking and understanding developed over
time.