ABSTRACT
An extreme environment is one that provides a major threat to a person’s homeostasis and requires a significant response to restore internal balance in order to survive. An effective response is to move away from the environment or, in extreme weather, to seek shelter. Armstrong (2000) considers the response of people to environmental stress and identifies 12 points or principles which are relevant to all exposures (see Table 20.1). In any assessment, it should be remembered that extreme environments can elicit emotions and associated behaviour ranging from exhilaration to extreme distress and that this is part of the human response that should be included in any analysis.
