Geography Unit 1 - Hazards
- Created by: izzypatrick
- Created on: 07-05-14 17:47
Global Hazards
1- Hydro- meteorological (climatic)
2- Geophysical (land)
R= H x V
C
Global warming - context hazard - trigger - greatest hazard - long term - constant
Issues of Injustice - causers (rich) /affected (poor)
Solutions complex - not understood
Global Hazard Trends
H-M - Increasing
G - Not changed
Disasters increasing- Human: Pop. growth, urbanisation, poverty, deforestation, media
- Physical: Global warming, ENSO
No. deaths decreasing - Prediction, prevention, preparedness
'' '' levelling off - vulnerable people
No. affected increasing
Economic losses increasing - Absolute greater in MEDCs (total costs), Relative greater in LEDCS
Trends complex & skewed: eg- 2005 Tsunami killed 350000
- 2005 Hurricane Katrina $110 billion
El Nino - weak east winds, warm water east, low pressure east, air rises east
Global Hazard Patterns
G - plate boundaries
Volcanoes & Earthquakes - constructive
'' '' '' - destructive (oceanic under continental)
Earthquakes - conservative
Volcanic hotspots (Hawaii) - magma chambers
Tropical Cyclones - over sea 26.5 degrees
- warm, moist air rises, condenses = energy = wind speed
- lose speed over land - Coriolis effect - westwards (Atlantic to Caribbean)
- 5 and 30 deg north & south of equator
Climate Change and its Causes- 1
Evidence
Long - Ice cores (1 layer/year, trapped gasses, temp.)
- Pollen analysis (conditions)
- Sea-level change (raised beaches = less water stored by ice)
Medium - Historical records
- Tree Rings (1/year, good cond = thick, 10000 years)
- Retreating glaciers (terminal point)
Short - Weather records (since 1861)
- Polar ice melt
- Ecosystem changes (species distribution)
Climate Change and its Causes- 2
Causes
Natural - Earths orbit - Stretch (changes energy), Tilt (changes energy), Wobble (seasons swap)
- Solar output - sunspots = increase energy, 11 year cycle
- Meteors - material blocks sun
- Volcanoes - material blocks sun
Human - GHG emissions (CO2, Methane, Ozone, Water vapour)
- CO2 increased from 280ppm to 380ppm since 1950s (Industrial rev)
- Destruction CO2 sinks (plants)
Recent climate change unprecidented could mean humans to blame
Impacts of Global Warming
Indirect - ice sheet melt
- sea level rise (Eustatic)
- thermal expansion
Bangladesh - 80% land low lying
- 1000 people/km2
- poor
The Maldives - 0.5m rise = submerge
- tourism
IPCC - emissions scenarios = predictions
Difficult to predict (dont know emissions change, co2 sinks, natural causes, success?)
Tipping point - irreversible, more hazardous
Coping with Climate Change
Mitigation - Carbon tax, renewables, alter agriculture, carbon capture, recycle, carbon offsetting
Adaption - lifestyle, risk assessments, flood adaptations, water management, education
Key players: Governments, Businesses, Non-gov organisations, Communities/Individuals
Kyoto Protocol 1997: 180 countries agree cut emissions by 2012
- MEDCs - 5%
- LEDCs - monitor
- Carbon credits
- US, Australia, China, India not sign
'Act local, think global'
The Challenge of Global Hazards for the Future
Hazards increasing = water & food security - Subsaharan Africa (dehydration + famine)
Political disputes - eg Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan for Nile
Stern Review 2006 - '1% of Global GDP needed to prevent worst of global warming'
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
INOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
Solutions need to focus on assessing & altering the risk and vulnerability of the population
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