The risk calculated by the index is determined by the extent to which communities are exposed to natural hazards such as droughts, storms or earthquakes, but also by their degree of vulnerability. The latter is dependent on social factors such as the public infrastructure, medical services, the prevailing nutritional situation, governance, the level of education, the availability of insurances that might help to deal with economic losses in an event, as well as the condition of the environment.
In these places a very high threat of natural disasters and climate change meets very vulnerable communities," explained Prof. In New Zealand and Haiti earthquakes of similar severity occurred shortly after each other. Whilst New Zealand had a death toll of , the earthquake in Haiti cost the lives of over , people.
This degradation and the associated decline of ecosystems and their invaluable services the benefits we obtain are driving disaster risk. Changes to the environment can influence the frequency and intensity of hazards, as well as our exposure and vulnerability to these hazards. For instance, deforestation of slopes often leads to an increase in landslide hazard and removal of mangroves can increase the damage caused by storm surges. See a related story: 'Narco-deforestation' may boost disaster risks in Central America.
Land degradation is both a cause and effect of rural poverty and vulnerability. Poor rural households in developing countries suffer disproportionately from land degradation, the direct effects of which include losses in soil organic content, nutrients and water storage and regulation, which in turn lead to a loss of productive capacity and wildlife habitat. In the low input-low output agricultural systems common to poor rural areas, such as sub-Saharan Africa, nutrient inputs to the soil are almost always less than the outputs.
Land degradation, therefore, particularly drives drought risk, but can also drive climate change , leading to increases in average mean temperatures and decreases in mean precipitation at the local level. Most ecosystems have been intentionally or unintentionally modified to increase the supply of certain services. However, an increase in the supply of services can frequently lead to declines in other services, because ecosystems produce many services simultaneously.
For example, increased food production changes the absorption capacity of the land and can lead to reduced flood protection. Population growth and economic development area seen as ubiquitous drivers of environmental change through energy, transport, urbanisation, and globalisation. Economic growth is often associated with ecosystem destruction and degradation, for example with the conversion of mangrove forests into shrimp farms, primary forests into plantations to produce palm oil or soya, or wetlands and floodplains into urban developments, or with the processes of land degradation and aquifer exhaustion associated with intensive agriculture.
The pursuit of unlimited economic growth has led to an increasing and unsustainable overconsumption of energy, fresh water, forests and marine habitats, clean air and rich soil at the global scale. Air pollution, water pollution, deforestation, soil degradation, sand depositing in dams, decaying urban infrastructure, and more and more hazards such as floods, landslides and soil erosion are major consequences of environmental degradation and are making tremendous loss both in life and property.
Through investigation, the author found that poor air quality in the large cities; water pollution in the downstream of many rivers; the multiple problems of many mining areas; lack of access to fresh water; decaying sewage systems; and the disastrous impact of these environmental degradations on public health and agricultural products in many provinces is rather serious.
Relationship of environmental degradation and natural hazards is close; more attention should be put in environmental degradation that may surpass economy progress if the trend continues. It is therefore imperative that Chinese government undertake a series of prudent actions now that will enable to be in the best possible position when the current environmental crisis ultimately passes.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution. Rent this article via DeepDyve. Banuri, T. Google Scholar. Behn, M. Duan Yonghou et al. Guha, R. Li, W. Ma Shijun and Chang Shuzhong: , 'It is of immediate urgency to protect our environment an natural resources', Econom. Needham, J. O'Kane, M. Richardson, D.
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