ABSTRACT
A distinct dimension of the environment-security nexus emerges from considering threats emanating from the non-human world itself. A major source of insecurity for much of the world’s population is rooted in the natural, non-living world – from physical phenomena originating in the Earth’s interior, its atmosphere and even from beyond our planet. The phrase ‘Acts of God’ encapsulates the notion of human helplessness in the face of such dangers which are out of our control, but the truth is that natural disasters are as much socio-political as geological or meteorological phenomena: ‘[A] disaster is the intersection of two opposing forces: those processes generating vulnerability on one side, and physical exposure to a hazard on the other’ (Blaikie et al. 1994: 22). It is socio-political factors that make people vulnerable to hazardous natural events. The fact that people live, whether through their own choice, ignorance or compulsion, in places known to be prone to disaster is one such factor. Another is the capacity and/or willingness of governing authorities to take steps to alleviate the potential human cost of events known to be likely to occur. Table 10.1 illustrates not only the horrific scale of human casualties that can accrue from
natural disasters but also the importance of the socio-political component in such events. The Huang Ho and other Chinese rivers are more prone to dramatically bursting their banks than most of the world’s waterways but this has been well known in China for centuries. Overpopulation, poor government and the human propensity to risk residing in such hazardous places for the benefits of farming on the fertile soils deposited by the flooding are major contributors to the shocking death toll that has accumulated over time. All of the droughtinduced famines listed in the table can, at least partially, be explained by political failings in terms of not stockpiling food reserves. Historically, floods and droughts have presented the greatest natural hazards to human life
but, in the 1990s, windstorms claimed more lives. Statistics for recent years, however, differ from previous eras since three particular events, the 2003 and 2010 heatwaves in Western Europe and Russia and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, were far and away the most calamitous incidents of their kind in history and have elevated these phenomena to a higher level of importance than ever before. Droughts are nowmuch better ‘managed’ than in previous eras as is reflected in the recent data (see Table 10.2).
