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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is a hazard? |
A natural event that has the potential to threaten both life and property |
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What is vulnerability? |
High risk combined with an inability of individuals and communities to cope |
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What is a geophysical hazard? |
A hazard formed by tectonic/geological processes |
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What is a hydro-meteorological hazard? |
A hazard formed by hydrological (floods) and atmospheric processes (storms, droughts) |
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What is a disaster? |
A hazard becoming a reality in an event that causes deaths and damage to goods, property and the environment |
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What is risk? |
The probability if a hazard event occurring and creating loss of lives and livelihoods |
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What increases the threat of environmental hazards? |
-Global warming -El Nino-La Nina |
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Why are environmental hazards a huge threat? |
-Warning time is short -Onset is usually rapid -Humans exposed to hazards because they live in hazardous areas e.g floodplains, the coast because its seen as an economic advantage or over-confidence about safety - Most direct losses to life or property occur in a short space of time which requires efficient emergency response |
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What could increase vulnerability? |
-High poverty -Low GDP -High population density - Corrupt government -Lack of education |
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What is the disaster risk equation? |
Frequency/Magnitude of Hazard x Vulnerability _________________________________________________ Capacity to Cope |
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Why is the frequency of disasters increasing? |
Burning of fossil fuels is warming the planet. Resulting change in climate is increasing frequency and severity of weather-related hazards and expanding range of disease carriers |
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Why is the level of vulnerability increasing? |
Increasing population leads to high population density- Unsustainable development involves poor land e.g floodplains, unstable slopes and coasts Environmental degradation- Bleaching of coral reefs, destruction of coastal mangroves, deforestation of water catchments |
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Why is the capacity to cope decreasing? |
Debt repayments, unfair trade arrangements, selective foreign investment means some communities lack the funds to prepare themselves for a disaster |
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What is climate change? |
Long-term shift in climate detected by a sustained shift in average value for any climatic element e.g rainfall, drought |
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What is the enhanced greenhouse effect? |
When levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increase due to human activity |
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What is the greenhouse effect? |
Warming of Earth's atmosphere due to the trapping of heat that would otherwise be radiated back into space |
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Why is climate change believed to be the most important issue we face? |
-Global problem, affecting all areas of world - Chronic hazard with enormous range of direct impacts. - Affect ecology and wildlife, and could lead to spread of disease into new areas e.g malaria -Rising ocean temperatures may cause an increase in frequency of hurricanes and are responsible for widespread damage to coral reefs -Indirect impacts such as rising sea levels which could lead flooding due to thermal expansion of oceans and melting of ice caps |
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Why is the problem with global warming hard to solve? |
Hard to make accurate predictions about the nature and impacts of global warming Tackling the problem requires international agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions which is politically and economically unacceptable for many countries |
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Why are the number of deaths decreasing due to disasters? |
Prediction- More people being evacuated Prevent- e.g Sandbags prevent effects of flooding Prepare- Education |
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Why are economic losses increasing from a disaster? |
Relative financial cost greatest in poorer countries |
