Intro to natural hazards Flashcards
What is a natural hazard?
A naturally occurring event which has positive and/or negative impacts on people and the environment.
What is hazard risk?
The chance or probability of being affected by a naturally occurring event.
What is poverty?
The state of being extremely poor.
How does poverty increase hazard risk?
Living in makeshift housing = greater chance of death if housing is destroyed in natural hazard. Don’t have capacity to recover financially and rebuild lives in aftermath of natural hazard.
What is urbanisation?
An increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities.
How does urbanisation increase hazard risk?
Densely populated areas experience greater levels of death and destruction as there are more people and more buildings. Over 50% of the world’s population now live in cities.
What is climate change?
The change in global and regional climate patterns due to increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere.
How does climate change increase hazard risk?
Will lead to more intense tropical storms = more devastating impacts. Some areas will become wetter = more flooding. Some areas will become drier = more droughts.
What is agriculture?
The practice of farming.
How does agriculture increase hazard risk?
People choose to live on fertile floodplains but, in doing so, put themselves at risk due to the high chance of flooding.
