The research that went into producing this book would not have been possible without the financial support provided by the Leverhulme Trust to the ‘Tipping Points’ research initiative at the Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience (IHRR), Durham University, United Kingdom. I would also like to acknowledge the support that I received from a number of colleagues during the writing of this book: first, Ranald Michie for his unparalleled expertise, constant encouragement, and inexhaustible enthusiasm; second, James Taylor, Sarah Wilson, and Bernardo Batiz-Lazo for their feedback and kind comments on various drafts of this book; and, finally, all my colleagues on the Tipping Points project, whose work has done so much to broaden my own academic horizons. Lastly, I also have to thank my own first-class proofreading team (expertly led by Linda Hollow and Maria Katsipataki) for their assistance in helping to shape and tidy up this work.