#NoNaturalDisasters
(United Nations)
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https://www.undrr.org/our-impact/campaigns/no-natural-disasters |
https://www.nonaturaldisasters.com/ <-- shared technical articles
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H/T @United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
“💬 Earthquakes, storms, floods — these are often described as “natural disasters.” But that’s not quite true.
Nature creates hazards. Disasters happen when those hazards hit vulnerable people and systems.
Where and how we build, who is protected, and who is left exposed – these are the factors that shape the outcomes. The same earthquake can cause minor damage in one country, and destroy entire neighbourhoods in another. The difference? Planning, preparedness and human choices.
🏗️ Strong building codes.
⚠️ Early warnings.
🏘️ Safe land-use planning.
These decisions determine whether a hazard becomes a disaster.
Language matters. When we say “natural disaster,” we ignore the choices that increase or reduce risk. When we change how we speak, we can change how we act.
👉 There are no natural disasters. Only natural hazards — and human-made risk…”
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“… Hazards may be natural. Disasters are not
We often hear about “natural disasters” in the news or from NGOs and international organisations (even some less-well informed UN agencies!).
The truth is, there is no such thing as a natural disaster.
Disaster = hazard + exposure + vulnerability
A natural hazard, such as a hurricane, earthquake, or flood, only becomes a disaster when it impacts a community that is not adequately protected, and whose population is vulnerable as a result of poverty, exclusion or socially-disadvantage.
There are also disasters that result from natural hazards, like wildfires or desertification, that have a devastating effect on natural resources, laying waste to ecosystems and wildlife habitats. Some of these originate from man-made hazards, like chemical spills or nuclear leaks. This destruction can have serious effects on the communities that co-exist and rely on these resources, causing economic and cultural losses, and ruining lives and livelihoods. Still, those aren’t natural disasters.
We can stop hazards from becoming disasters
By shrugging off a catastrophic event as a “natural disaster” one is refusing to take responsibility for the damage and destruction.
But we know it is possible to reduce the risk from hazards, man-made and natural. We can give early warning for some events, and put in place safety plans. We can identify the most at-risk people, and ensure that that they are given special protection. We can build homes and infrastructure so that it can withstand earthquakes and extreme weather, protecting the people for whom it is built. We can invest in resilience, and establish financial mechanisms to rebuild and prevent the disaster-poverty vicious cycle.
These Are Deliberate Decisions – And Failing To Act On Them Is The Real Cause Of Disasters. There Is Nothing ‘Natural’ About It…”
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@United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction