Disasters: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and floods

Oxford Textbook of Medicine ◽

10.1093/med/9780199204854.003.0905012 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 1436-1440

Author(s):

Peter J. Baxter

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Natural Disasters ◽

Environmental Degradation ◽

Volcanic Eruptions ◽

Future Climate ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Human Populations ◽

Urbanized Areas ◽

Wind Storms

Natural disasters (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, floods) affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people every year, and their impact is increasing year on year because of continuing expansion of human populations into increasingly exposed areas, with environmental degradation making these settlements more vulnerable, especially in heavily urbanized areas. Future climate change may exacerbate matters, with many forecasts predicting an increase in hurricanes, severe wind storms, flooding and droughts....

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Climate Change in Eastern Africa

10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.1004 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rob Marchant

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Variability ◽

East Africa ◽

Future Climate ◽

Eastern Africa ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Human Populations ◽

The Past ◽

Tropical Conditions ◽

Convergence Zones

The climatology of East Africa results from the complex interaction between major global convergence zones with more localized regional feedbacks to the climate system; these in turn are moderated by a diverse land surface characterized by coastal to land transitions, high mountains, and large lakes. The main climatic character of East Africa, and how this varies across the region, takes the form of seasonal variations in rainfall that can fall as one, two, or three rainy seasons, the times and duration of which will be determined by the interplay between major convergence zones with more localized regional feedbacks. One of the key characteristics of East Africa are climatic variations with altitude as climates change along an altitudinal gradient that can extend from hot, dry, “tropical” conditions to cool, wet, temperate conditions and on the highest mountains “polar” climates with permanent ice caps. With this complex and variable climate landscape of the present, as scientists move through time to explore past climatic variability, it is apparent there have been a series of relatively rapid and high-magnitude environmental shifts throughout East Africa, particularly characterized by changing hydrological budgets. How climate change has impacted on ecosystems, and how those ecosystems have responded and interacted with human populations, can be unearthed by drawing on evidence from the sedimentary and archaeological record of the past six thousand years. As East African economies, and the livelihoods of millions of people in the region, have been clearly heavily affected by climate variability in the past, so it is expected that future climate variability will impact on ecosystem functioning and the preparedness of communities for future climate change.

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Disasters: Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and volcanic eruptions

Oxford Textbook of Medicine ◽

10.1093/med/9780198746690.003.0211 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1713-1718

Author(s):

Peter J. Baxter

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

High Risk ◽

Natural Disasters ◽

Low Income ◽

Disaster Preparedness ◽

Volcanic Eruptions ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Human Populations ◽

The World ◽

Urbanized Areas

Natural disasters (including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, floods) cause tens of thousands of deaths and adversely affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people every year. The trend is for the impacts to increase alongside the continuing expansion of human populations into regions at risk and with environmental degradation making human settlements more vulnerable, especially in heavily urbanized areas and megacities. This reckless development is going on in most countries of the world, even in places prone to natural disasters. Recent remarkable advances in forecasting weather-related disasters (hurricanes and floods) have to be matched with adequate disaster preparedness in those communities at high risk if they are to be translated into effective warnings, especially in low-income countries. Earthquakes remain notoriously unpredictable and have the greatest mortality toll of all natural disasters.

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