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Frost 1Kylee FrostePortfolio Geography 1700April 2012Natural Disasters and the Environment There are many different types of Natural Disasters in our world today. Some of which include Earthquakes, Tornadoes, Wildfires, Hurricanes, Tsunamis, Volcanoes, Floods, Blizzards, Landslides, Typhoons and Avalanches. Many of these natural disasters have very negative and saddening affects not only on society and the economy, but on the environment as well. However, many of the natural disasters are a necessary and vital part to the well-being of our planet and environment. Therefore many of these natural disasters create positive effects and outcomes on our environment. Natural disasters in 2010 deemed last year “the deadliest year in more than a generation” according to a report given by the associated press. In 2010 more people were death victims of natural disasters worldwide than victims of terrorist attacks in the past 40 years. So many people are being affected by these disasters because they are not educated, instructed or prepared on how to react in the situation of a natural disaster. Many people are not smart about where they are located in a natural disaster which also plays into how this effects the environment. People live too close to the beach, near a river, many houses are built on a huge fault line, poverty stricken areas, overly crowded cities and poorly constructed buildings. Therefore the rise in death tolls have been great because the Frost 2environment we live in greatly effects how much we are or are not a victim of the natural disasters that occur every single day around us.Floods in Latin America force families out of their homes and gather their belongings. Trends in natural disasters also play a very interesting role in how often the environment will be helped or hindered by the effects of natural disasters. As the world continues to grow not only by the number of infrastructures but by the rapidly growing population as well – we have become more susceptible and prone to natural disasters. Any urban land that is leftover for growth after we have already taken much of it away due to new infrastructure and population growth (as mentioned before) – has become even more vulnerable now to natural disasters occurring. Below is a graph showing the trends in numbers of reported events: Frost 3 Although natural disasters have many devastating effects and downfalls about them there are also many positive effects on the environment and are sometimes necessary for the overall health of the environment. For instance, research has suggested that natural disasters such as hurricanes and tropical storms aid in the help of distributing the Earth’s heat. Large rainstorms such as hurricanes bring to the earth the amount of rainfall that are beneficial to the agricultural needs of humans and are also a huge benefit to ecosystems. In the absence of the transfer of this heat from the storms to the Earth’s poles and Tropics – climate control and regulated temperatures are at great risk. Wildfires are another example of natural disasters that can benefit and are beneficial to our environment. Animals need wildfires to happen for their food source because they are attracted to freshly grown plants in newly burned areas. Wildfires are also a necessity to bring fresh nutrients and enriched soils, and they get rid of invasive plants in our environment that Frost 4are unwanted and hinder the growth of other lively and healthy plants. Wildfires can also be a necessity to plants that depend on them to help spread their seed and to grow. The reasoning behind the rise in natural disasters over the past 20 years can be debatable and unclear at times; however, the visual and obvious facts are clear – natural disasters have been on the up rise in recent years. In specific, earthquakes are at the top of the list when it comes to one of the deadliest and most devastating natural disasters we experience here on earth today. “…Eight out of the ten most populous cities in the world are on earthquake fault lines” said Margareta Wahlstr?m, UN special representative of the secretary general for disaster risk reduction. In the months and day following some of the most devastating earthquakes the world has seen yet (such as the ones in Chile and Haiti) experts have indicated that the future shows no evidence of that trend coming to a stop. Some of the negative effects that natural disasters have on our environment are harshest on different species and animals. Some species are completely wiped out when a tornado, flood, earthquake or hurricane hit because they are helpless and too small to survive. Many animals get stressed out and cannot find their parents and/or previous homes. Many animals do not yet know how to survive alone or depend on other animals to live for food supply. It is obvious to anyone that natural disasters greatly affect the land, schools, homes, animals, plants and all things around us in our environment. Homes are blown, washed or destructed in natural Frost 5disasters such as tornadoes, tsunamis and earthquakes because they were not built to withstand the elements of nature. As psychological facts have found; environment plays a huge role in the psychological well-being we attain as humans. When a persons living situation and environment is disrupted or off balance many people tend to suffer emotional effects of this kind of outcome. Natural disasters play a huge role in our emotional lives as humans. Loved ones may be lost, jobs, homes, cars, pets and many other things that can be lost from natural disasters that also play a role in our everyday living environment effect us so greatly emotionally Natural disasters also affect our environment through the economy because buildings and businesses are destroyed or shut down and unable to run for many days following a natural disaster because of the impact and destruction that has been caused. Natural disasters can emotionally affect many people’s lives therefore affecting the rate that people are ready to rebuild, start over and get back to work, therefore in the long run effecting our environment as a whole. People who are the victims of natural disasters have shown greater vulnerability to developing depression and anxiety disorders. At times, these depression or anxiety symptoms keep many people from returning to work or finding the drive and motivation to start anew and rebuild their lives. The end result is a completely new environment and surroundings to deal with. Frost 6Bangladesh natives suffering the horrifying effects of a natural disaster. Emotional distress is present. As we can see, there are many negative effects of natural disasters, but we now also know that many natural disasters are vital for the survival of the environment and the earth. No one wants to become the victim of a natural disaster, but in order to keep this world running properly they are necessary. Not only are they necessary – they are inevetibale. There are many precautions and education opportunities out there that we can take to prepare not only ourselves, but our environment as well to further ensure the safety of ourselves, families and our surroundings in the environment. It is wise of us as a community and humans to educate ourselves on the effects that natural disasters can have on our lives and our families. Works CitedNatural Disasters on the Rise: Effects of Natural Disasters; New York Times:?; Natural Disasters:?: The International Disaster Database:?; The Upside to Natural Disasters: Trumpet; Why Have Natural Disasters Increased? ................
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