Multi Hazardous Enviroment Case Study - The Philippines Flashcards
(12 cards)
What is the vulnerability - human factors
High population density eg) 11 million live along coast in Manila
Poverty - NEE inequality
Lack of investment in hazard protection
What is the risk of hazards?
Seismic hazards - high risk - pacific ring of fire
Volcanic hazards - high risk - pacific ring of fire
Tropical storm hazards - high risk - most exposed country in the world
Nature of hazards and their impacts - tropical storms
7-10 Typhoons per year - some very powerful eg) 2013 Typhoon Haiyan, most powerful cyclone ever to hit land
Nature of hazards and their impacts - earthquakes
Subduction of Philippines plate under Eurasian plate
High frequency
Some very powerful
Landslides, tsunamis and heavy rainfall triggered by seismic activity
Nature of hazards and their impacts - volcanic eruptions
subduction – destructive margin – over 20 active volcanoes, some deadly e.g., Mt. Pinatubo in densely populated area so very deadly (500 killed in 1991 eruption) – early warnings and evacuations helped save thousands of lives.
Nature of hazards and their impacts - flooding
coastal flooding due to storm surges and river flooding due to heavy rainfall e.g., 2010 flood in Eastern Philippines.
Nature of hazards and their impacts - drought
If wet season brings insufficient rain, drought can result e.g., 2005 drought on Luzon Island
What are some human responses?
The Philippines National Red Cross (PNRC), with foreign Red Cross organisations, have started programmes at a community level aiming to reduce impacts: training volunteers in disaster management, identifying risk in land use mapping
Mitigation measures - building sea walls - preventative measures.
The current system is a top-down system, as opposed to one that is community based and gives rise to local initiatives. initiatives which emphasise the bottom-up approach that will help the most vulnerable communities cope with the hazards when they occur are required.
Background of the Philippines
Situated in southeast Asia.
Made up of over 7000 islands and has a population of over 100 million.
vulnerable people - risk from a variety of hazards is relatively high.
Some people more vulnerable eg) due to poverty, lack of education, or because of their location, eg) most people live near the coast - 11 million people live in the densely populated capital Manilla.
Lies on the western rim of the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, making it vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic hazards.
It also lies in the path of regular tropical storms that track westward across the Pacific;
1/3 of storms occur in this region, making it the most exposed country in the world to storm related hazards, including flooding and landslides
What is the economy like?
experienced rapid economic growth but GDP per capita is only $8,400 compared to of $59,000 for the USA.
rapid growth led to greater inequality, with wealth concentrated in hands of the rich.
At least 40% of population work in informal sector
in the Southern Philippines 75% of the population live in poverty.
Poverty is also widespread in rural areas.
The government has the challenge of implementing strategies to reduce the risk to people and property posed by natural hazards whilst also seeking to reduce the incidence of poverty in the country.
What is the Philippines capacity to cope like due to their economy?
Widespread poverty reduces the capacity of the Philippines to cope with the challenge of natural hazards.
struggle to afford to build stable hazard-proof infrastructure, provide special educational
programmes to citizens, provide mitigation disaster kits to all the population or to respond quickly to
disasters when needed.
Between 1990 and 2014 most mortality losses from natural hazards came from tropical storms (78.9%).
economic losses due to natural hazards - 79% came from tropical storms and flooding accounted for 17.3%.
How has economic growth had environmental consequences?
There has been an increase in deforestation in upland areas for agriculture, due to the pressures of an increasing population and economic growth.
This has increased the risk of landslides.
