This book contains the proceedings of the 31st International Seminar on Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies convened in Erice, Italy, on May 7–12, 2004. World leaders in their fields of Science, directors of National Laboratories, advisors to Presidents, Defence Secretaries and high-level diplomats converged at the event. Together, they offer different schools of thought to the widely-debated subject of Cultural Emergency and Terrorism. The subjects treated in this volume include societal and global approach to terrorism; responses to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, as well as challenges to emergency/risk management, media information and communication.The proceedings have been selected for coverage in: • Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings® (ISTP® / ISI Proceedings)• Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings (ISTP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings)• Index to Social Sciences & Humanities Proceedings® (ISSHP® / ISI Proceedings)• Index to Social Sciences & Humanities Proceedings (ISSHP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings)• CC Proceedings — Engineering & Physical Sciences