Chapter 1 Environment Disaster Linkages: An Overview

Abstract

Environment and disasters have a close relationship. Environmental change causes disasters or enhances the frequency or intensity of disasters. Climate change is often regarded as an environmental phenomenon; however, when we see changes in the typhoon path, or repeated occurrences of heavy rainfall or strong typhoons, it is often attributed to climatic changes. In that case, environmental change (climate change) is the cause and disaster (typhoon or flood) is considered as the impact. On the other hand, when a disaster like typhoon, earthquake, or tsunami occurs, it produces a huge amount of debris. Disaster debris or disaster waste becomes an environmental problem. In many cases, the disaster also causes significant impacts on the ecology. Therefore, disaster becomes a cause, and environmental degradation becomes the impact.

Citation

Tran, P. and Shaw, R. (2012), "Chapter 1 Environment Disaster Linkages: An Overview", Shaw, R. and Tran, P. (Ed.) Environment Disaster Linkages (Community, Environment and Disaster Risk Management, Vol. 9), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2040-7262(2012)0000009007