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NEWS FROM THE WORLDWATCH INSTITUTE More people worldwide
are now displaced by natural disasters than by
conflict. But more and more
of the devastation wrought by such natural
disasters is "unnatural" in
origin, caused by ecologically destructive
practices and an increasing
number of people living in harm's way.
Worldwatch Paper 158, "Unnatural
Disasters" by Janet Abramovitz,
explores the growing toll of unnatural
disasters, and shows what we need
to do to reduce their impact.
Janet presented her paper at a briefing on October 18. She
was joined in
this briefing by James Lee Witt, President of James Lee Witt
Associates,
and former Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
from
1993-2001.
Contents:
1. Ordering information for Worldwatch Paper
158: Unnatural Disasters by
Janet Abramovitz
2. Press release for
Worldwatch Paper 158: Unnatural Disasters by Janet
Abramovitz
3. Fact
Sheet for Worldwatch Paper 158.
4. Audio Links for Worldwatch Paper 158
Briefing
5. Special world map of unnatural danger locations
1. Ordering Information for Paper 158
Electronic
Paper 158 is available for $5 as a PDF file which can be downloaded from
the order page, http://secure.worldwatch.org/cgi-bin/wwinst/WWP0158PW
Print
Paper 158 is available in print for $5, plus shipping and
handling.
Discounts for multiple copies are available.
To order a
printed copy of Paper 158, you can:
A. Visit the order page on the
Worldwatch web site,
http://secure.worldwatch.org/cgi-bin/wwinst/WWP0158PW
B. Phone (800) 555-2028 in the U.S. and Canada, or (301) 567-9522
overseas.
C. Fax (301) 567-9553
D. Email wwpub@worldwatch.org
E.
Write Worldwatch Institute, P.O., Box 879, Oxon Hill, MD 20797
2. Press Release for Worldwatch Paper 159
http://www.worldwatch.org/alerts/011018.html
HOLD FOR RELEASE
Thursday, October 18, 2001
22:00
GMT
HUMAN ACTIONS WORSEN NATURAL DISASTERS
More people worldwide are now displaced by natural disasters
than by
conflict. In the 1990s, natural catastrophes like hurricanes,
floods,
and fires affected more than two billion people and caused in
excess of
$608 billion in economic losses worldwide-a loss greater than
during the
previous four decades combined. But more and more of the
devastation
wrought by such natural disasters is "unnatural" in origin,
caused by
ecologically destructive practices and an increasing number of
people
living in harm's way, finds a new study by the Worldwatch Institute,
a
Washington D.C.-based environmental research organization.
"By degrading forests, engineering rivers, filling in
wetlands, and
destabilizing the climate, we are unraveling the strands of a
complex
ecological safety net," said Senior Researcher and author of
Unnatural
Disasters Janet Abramovitz. "We have altered so many natural
systems so
dramatically, their ability to protect us from disturbances is
greatly
diminished."
Also contributing to the rising toll of disasters is the
enormous
expansion of the human population and the built environment, which
put
more people and more economic activities in harm's way. One in three
people-some 2 billion-now live within 100 kilometers of a coastline.
Thirteen of the world's 19 megacities (with over 10 million inhabitants)
are in coastal zones. The projected effects of global warming, such as
more extreme weather events and sea level rise, will only magnify
potential losses.
Although "unnatural disasters" occur everywhere, their
impact falls
disproportionately on poor people as they are more likely to
be living
in vulnerable areas and they have fewer resources to prepare for
or
recover from disasters. Between 1985 and 1999, 96 percent of recorded
disaster fatalities were in developing countries.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
estimates that
future impacts of climate extremes will affect the poor
disproportionately. Viet Nam and Bangladesh, for example, are projected
to lose more than 70,000 square kilometers of land, affecting some 32
million people. Rich countries will not be spared either. The entire
Mediterranean coast is especially vulnerable to sea level rise, as are
the U.S.'s Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Economic losses from "unnatural disasters" are greater in
the developed
world-the earthquake that rocked Kobe, Japan in 1995, for
example, cost
more than $100 billion, making it the most expensive natural
disaster in
history. Smaller losses often hit poor countries harder, where
they
represent a larger share of the national economy. The damage from
1998's Hurricane Mitch in Central America was $8.5 billion-higher than
the combined gross domestic product of Honduras and Nicaragua, the two
nations hardest hit.
Few of the losses in poor countries are insured. In the
period 1985-99,
the vast majority of insured losses-some 92 percent-were in
industrial
nations.
"Expanding the financial safety net for poor countries is
essential,"
said Abramovitz. "So too is maintaining and restoring nature's
ecological safety net in all countries. Dunes, barrier islands, mangrove
forests and coastal wetlands are natural 'shock absorbers' that protect
against coastal storms. Forests, floodplains, and wetlands, are
'sponges' that absorb floodwaters. Nature provides these services for
free, and we should take advantage of them rather than undermining
them."
For example, China now recognizes that forests are ten
times
more valuable for flood control and water supply than they are for
timber, and has halted logging in the Yangtze River watershed. The loss
of 85 percent of the forests in the upper Yangtze River worsened the
1998 flood that affected 223 million people. Viet Nam has restored
2,000 hectares of mangroves in a successful effort to provide a buffer
from coastal storms as well as much-needed jobs in fisheries. The U.S.
could prevent a repeat of the devastating 1993 Mississippi flood by
restoring just half of the wetlands lost in the upper Mississippi
Basin-a move that would affect no more than three percent of surrounding
agricultural, forest, and urban land.
To date, much of the response to disasters has focused on
improving
weather predictions before the events and providing humanitarian
relief
afterwards-both of which have saved countless lives. "Yet, too often
long-term mitigation efforts are overlooked by the public and
politicians alike," says Abramovitz. "Money invested in disaster
mitigation yields several fold returns in recovery cost savings.
Considering the social and ecological losses that are also prevented,
it's clear that mitigation is a great investment."
Unnatural Disasters also suggests several other specific
mitigative
measures: Community-based disaster preparedness is essential in
preventing and responding to the full array of disasters that societies
now face. Rather than subsidizing environmentally unsound settlement
and development practices, governments need to direct new construction
and settlement out of harm's way. Infrastructure in vulnerable
locations can be built or reinforced to withstand hazards. Debt relief
for developing nations can free up resources for desperately needed
disaster prevention efforts. Better hazard mapping can further improve
early warning and disaster preparedness schemes, keeping human and
economic losses as low as possible.
-END-
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3. Fact Sheet for
Worldwatch Paper 158
http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/paper/158facts.html
QUICK FACTS: Worldwatch Paper 158 Unnatural Disasters
In the 20th Century, 10 million people died as a result of
natural
catastrophes.
The UN named the 1990's the International Decade for Natural
Disaster
Reduction. Instead it may go down as the Decade of Disasters:
* Natural disasters in the 1990s caused over US $608 billion
in economic
losses-five times the figure in the 1970s, and 15 times the
total in the
1950s (p.12).
* The 1990s saw 86 great disasters (major natural
catastrophes requiring
outside assistance due to extensive deaths or
losses). The 1950s saw
20, the 1970s 47. (p.8)
* Between 1985 and 1999 more than 560,000 people died in
natural
disasters. Only four percent were in industrial countries (p.8).
(See
also: Deaths by Region p.10 and Deaths by Disaster Type p.11)
Asia has been hardest hit by natural disasters (p.9). Asia's
tally
between 1985 and 1999:
* 90 percent of all people affected by
disasters
* 77 percent of deaths from disasters
* 45 percent of
recorded economic losses from disasters.
Cost of disasters 1985 - 1999 (Figure 4, p. 13)
Global economic losses = US $918.7 billion.
Regional
breakdown:
Region
Cost (US$)
Share (%)
Asia
$409.8 billion
45%
North America
$304.4
billion
33%
Europe
$112.4 billion
12%
Caribbean
$30.0
billion
3%
Central America
$22.3 billion
2%
Oceania
$16.5 billion
2%
South America
$16.4 billion
2%
Africa
$6.8 billion
1%
* Between 1985 and 1999, the world's wealthiest countries
sustained 57.3
percent of the measured economic losses to disasters,
representing 2.5
percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In the same years
the world's
poorest countries endured 24.4 percent of the economic toll of
disasters, representing 13.4 percent of their GDP (Figure 5, p.14).
The added threat-Climate Change
* During the 20th century global average sea level rose by
10 - 20
centimeters. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects
that sea levels will rise another 9-88 centimeters by 2100. (p.38).
Among other impacts, some 75-200 million more people will be flooded by
storm surges each year.
* Projected disaster-related impacts of climate change:
See Figure 6 (p.32 Map) and Table 1 (p.39) Potential land loss and
population exposed by sea level rise in selected countries.
-end-
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4. Audio Streaming of
October 18 Press Briefing for Worldwatch Paper 158
You can listen to the press briefing for Worldwatch Paper
158, featuring
the author, Janet Abramovitz, and James Lee Witt, former
Director of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency under President
Clinton.
http://www.worldwatch.org/alerts/indexas.html
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5. Special
World Map of Unnatural Danger Locations
Paper 158 contains a world map of unnatural danger locations
which can
be viewed as a pdf file at:
http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/paper/158map.pdf
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