ABSTRACT
Climate change adds a new dimension to the age old problem of natural disasters. The link between anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and global temperatures connects climate change to human actions. Anthropogenic or human-induced climate change alters the character of natural hazards, from that inherent in the physical world, outside the realm of human influence, to phenomena shaped and induced by human activities—particularly the high carbon lifestyle. While the pressure to shift sides will come most visibly from within, as natural disasters become regular manifestations of the changing climate, pressure to change will also come externally, as competitive forces unleash new technological changes and usher resilient economies based on sustainable development elsewhere. Compulsion to cross over to the green side will be heightened by rivalry among nations, as being environmentally sustainable may soon become a new determinant of economic and social as well as political strength.
