natural hazards

What is a natural hazard?

A natural event that has the potential to cause disruption, injury or death to humans, or destruction of property.

What are the two types of natural hazard?

• Geological

• Meteorological

What are geological hazards?

Hazards caused by tectonic or land processes.

What are some examples of geological hazards?

• Earthquakes

• Volcanic eruptions

• Tsunamis

• Avalanches

• Landslides

What are meteorological hazards?

Hazards caused by weather and climate.

What are some examples of meteorological hazards?

• Tropical storms

• Extreme weather (heatwaves or cold spells)

• Flooding

What is hazard risk?

The probability of being affected by a natural event.

What factors affect hazard risk?

• Urbanisation

• Development

• Land use

• Geographical location

• Climate change

How does urbanisation affect hazard risk?

The more densely populated an area is, the higher the hazard risk.

This is because there are more people that a natural event could negatively affect.

How does development affect hazard risk?

The more developed a country is, the lower the hazard risk - HICs are better equiped to cope with natural hazards than LICs.

This is because they have better infrastructure (e.g. earthquake-proof buildings), emergency response systems, monitoring and prediction capabilities for natural hazards - reducing the possible number of people affected by a natural hazard.

How does geographical location affect hazard risk?

Some places have a higher hazard risk because of their location.

For example, a people living on a floodplain have a higher risk of being impacted by a flood.

How does climate change affect hazard risk?

The greater the global warming, the higher the hazard risk.

This is because climate change will increase the magnitude and frequency of meteorological hazards (like tropical storms), increasing the possible number of people affected by said hazards.