Geography Unit1
World At Risk
Global Hazards
There are different types of hazard 1) A hazard is something that’s a potential threat to human life or property. 2) Natural hazards are cause by natural processes. 3) Natural hazards can be divided into two types: * Hydro-meteoroidal hazards (caused by climatic processes)- these include droughts, floods, tropical cyclones and storms. * Geophysical hazards (caused by land processes) – these include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and landslides.
Terms:
1) Disaster- when a hazard actually seriously affects humans. 2) Risk- the likelihood that humans will be seriously affected by a hazard. 3) Vulnerability- how susceptible a population is to the damage caused by a hazard.
A tropical cyclone is a hazard, but when it hits land and seriously affects people and property it’s a disaster.
The Disaster Risk Equation Gives the Risk of a Disaster Occurring
The risk of a hazard causing a disaster can be shown using the disaster risk equation:
Risk (R) =Hazards (H)*Vulnerability (V)/Capacity to cope (C)
The risk of disaster increases as: 1) The frequency or severity of hazards increase. 2) People’s vulnerability increases (e.g. higher population densities in areas vulnerable to flooding, like flood plains). 3) People’s capacity to cope is decreased- capacity to cope is the ability to deal with the consequences of a hazard.
The disaster risk equation can be used to explain why similar hazards can cause disasters of different degrees.
Example
1) Similar sized earthquakes occurred in Kashmir, Pakistan (2005) and Izmit, Turkey (1999). 2) Although the hazard was similar (both were earthquakes), the disasters they caused were different- Kashmir suffered more loss of life with over 75000 deaths compared to Izmit around 18000. 3) The disaster risk equation can help to explain why: * The people of Kashmir has a lower capacity to cope- it’s a remote, mountainous location, which makes
Global Hazards
There are different types of hazard 1) A hazard is something that’s a potential threat to human life or property. 2) Natural hazards are cause by natural processes. 3) Natural hazards can be divided into two types: * Hydro-meteoroidal hazards (caused by climatic processes)- these include droughts, floods, tropical cyclones and storms. * Geophysical hazards (caused by land processes) – these include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and landslides.
Terms:
1) Disaster- when a hazard actually seriously affects humans. 2) Risk- the likelihood that humans will be seriously affected by a hazard. 3) Vulnerability- how susceptible a population is to the damage caused by a hazard.
A tropical cyclone is a hazard, but when it hits land and seriously affects people and property it’s a disaster.
The Disaster Risk Equation Gives the Risk of a Disaster Occurring
The risk of a hazard causing a disaster can be shown using the disaster risk equation:
Risk (R) =Hazards (H)*Vulnerability (V)/Capacity to cope (C)
The risk of disaster increases as: 1) The frequency or severity of hazards increase. 2) People’s vulnerability increases (e.g. higher population densities in areas vulnerable to flooding, like flood plains). 3) People’s capacity to cope is decreased- capacity to cope is the ability to deal with the consequences of a hazard.
The disaster risk equation can be used to explain why similar hazards can cause disasters of different degrees.
Example
1) Similar sized earthquakes occurred in Kashmir, Pakistan (2005) and Izmit, Turkey (1999). 2) Although the hazard was similar (both were earthquakes), the disasters they caused were different- Kashmir suffered more loss of life with over 75000 deaths compared to Izmit around 18000. 3) The disaster risk equation can help to explain why: * The people of Kashmir has a lower capacity to cope- it’s a remote, mountainous location, which makes