Unit 1 Key Terms

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Context Hazard
Widespread (global) threat due to environmental factors such as climate change
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Geophysical Hazard
A hazard formed by tectonic/geological processes (earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis)
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Hazard
A perceived natural event which has the potential to threaten life and property
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Hydro-meteorological hazard
A hazard formed by hydro-logical (floods) and atmospheric (storms and droughts) processes
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Vulnerability
A high risk combined with an inability of individuals and communities to cope
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Disaster
A hazard becoming reality in an even that causes deaths and damage to goods/property and the environment
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Risk
The probability of a hazard event occurring and creating loss of lives and livelihoods
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Albedo
How much solar radiation a surface reflects
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Climate change
Any long-term trend or shift in climate (average weather over 30 years) detected by a sustained shift in the average value for any climatic element
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Enhanced Greenhouse effect
This occurs when the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increasing owing to human activity
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Fossil fuels
Energy sources that are rich in carbon and which release carbon dioxide when burn (e.g. coal(
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Global warming
A recently measured rise in the average surface temperature of the planet
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Greenhouse effect
The warming of the Earth's atmosphere due to the trapping of heat that would otherwise be radiated back into space - it enables the survival of life on Earth
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Tipping point
The point at which a system switches from one state to another
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Feedback mechanism
Where the output of a system acts to amplify (positive) or reduce (negative) further output (e.g. melting of permafrost leads to release of trapped methane, leading to further warming)
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Hotspot
A localised area of the Earth's crust with an unusally high temperature
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Plume
The up welling of abnormally hot rock within the Earth's mantle
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Inter-tropical convergence zone
A zone of low atmospheric pressure near the equator. This migrates seasonally
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Climate
The average conditions of precipitation, temperature, pressure and wind measured over a 30 year period
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Climate change
A long-term trend or shift in climate detected by a sustained shift in the average value for any climatic element (e.g. rainfall, drought, storminess)
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Thermohaline circulation
A global system of surface and deep-water ocean currents, driven by differences in temperature (thermo-) and salinity (-haline) between areas of the oceans. An alternative name is the ocean conveyor
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Thermal expansion
The increased volume of the oceans as a result of higher water temperature, leading to sea-level rise. It accounted for about 60% of sea-level rise in the late twentieth century
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Eustatic Change
Change in sea level due to change in the amount of water in the oceans
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Isostatic change
Movement of the land in response to loss or gain of mass (e.g. melting ice sheets leading to uplft
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Adaptive capacity
To extent which a system can cope with climate change. IN human systems it depends on available human, physical and financial resources
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Climate vulnerability
The degree to which a natural or human system lacks the ability to cope with climate change. Vulnerability is a result of the magnitude of the change, its speed of onset, the sensitivity of the system and its adaptive capacity
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Sustainable development
'Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' - Brundtland report, 1987
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Internal migrant
The movement of people between different regions within the same nation. Hundred of millions of people in the world's poorer nations have made an internal movement from the countryside to cities in recent decades.
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Intervening obstacle
Barrier to a migrant such as a political border or physical feature (e.g. the Mediterranean for north Africans heading to Europe). Obstacles can include family pressures and travel costs
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Intervening opportunity
An alternative migration destination that exists between the migrant's place of origin and intended destination
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Structural Adjustment programmes
Strict conditions imposed on countries receiving loans from the IMF and the World Bank. Receiving governments may be required to cute back on healthcare, education, sanitation and housing programmes
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Rural-urban migration
A movement of population from rural to urban areas. Typically the young (15-30 years) migration and often male-dominated, although Asian nations (China and Thailand) there is a balance between men and women
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Petrodollars
Money derived from selling oil. Since the formation of OPEC, states such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE, including Dubai) and Venezuela have experienced significant increases in levels of national wealth
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Transnational corpration (TNC)
A company that has operations in more than one country
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Branch plant
A factory built in a country by a TNC which has its headquarters elsewhere
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Consumption
The purchase and use of commodities (food and goods) as well as services. Even landscapes can be commodified and consumed(if one pays to visit them)
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Glocalisation
The local sourcing of parts by TNC's in places where they assemble their 'global products' close to markets. At the same time, they are able to customise their products to meet local tastes and laws
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Core
The most developed and highly populated region of a country. The growth of core regions is fed by flows of labour from less well-developed regions
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Switched-on places
Natuions, regions or cities that are strongly connected to other places through the production and consumption of goods and services. In contrast, places that are poorly connected are said to be relatively switched off
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Wilderness
An area of the planet that has remained relatively untouched by human activity and is home to only a small number of indigenous people. Examples are the rain forests of Amazonia and Borneo as well as Antarctica, which is unpopulated
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Secularisation
A general decline in the sginificance of religious beliefs. A secular society is one in which people are more likely to be tolerant of abortion and the use of contraception
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Megacity
An urban area with a population of over 8 million
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World city (global city)
A city with major economic and political power. Examples are New York (also a megacity) and Paris (not a megacity)
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Least Developed Countries (LDC's)
Sudan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan
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Newly Industrialised Countries
China, India
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Ex-soviet States
Ukraine, Estonia
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Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
Nigeria, Libya, Venezuela, Iran
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Sweden, Spain, Australia
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

A hazard formed by tectonic/geological processes (earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis)

Back

Geophysical Hazard

Card 3

Front

A perceived natural event which has the potential to threaten life and property

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

A hazard formed by hydro-logical (floods) and atmospheric (storms and droughts) processes

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

A high risk combined with an inability of individuals and communities to cope

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
View more cards

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