Environmental Hazards and Disasters

Environmental Hazards and Disasters: Contexts, Perspectives and Management focuses on manifested threats to humans and their welfare as a result of natural disasters. The book uses an integrative approach to address socio-cultural, political and physical components of the disaster process. Human and social vulnerability as well as risk to environmental hazards are explored within the comprehensive context of diverse natural hazards and disasters.§In addition to scientific explanations of disastrous occurrences, people and governments of hazard-prone countries often have their own interpretations for why natural disasters occur. In such interpretations they often either blame others, in order to conceal their inability to protect themselves, or they blame themselves, attributing the events to either real or imagined misdeeds. The book contains a chapter devoted to the neglected topic of such reactions and explanations. Includes chapters on key topics such as the application of GIS in hazard studies; resiliency; disasters and poverty; climate change and sustainability and development.§This book is designed as a primary text for an interdisciplinary course on hazards for upper-level undergraduate and Graduate students. Although not targeted for an introductory hazards course, students in such a course may find it very useful as well. Additionally, emergency managers, planners, and both public and private organizations involved in disaster response, and mitigation could benefit from this book along with hazard researchers. It not only includes traditional and popular hazard topics (e.g., disaster cycles, disaster relief, and risk and vulnerability), it also includes neglected topics, such as the positive impacts of disasters, disaster myths and different accounts of disasters, and disasters and gender.Environmental Hazards and Disasters: Contexts, Perspectives and Management focuses on manifested threats to humans and their welfare as a result of natural disasters. The book uses an integrative approach to address socio-cultural, political and physical components of the disaster process. Human and social vulnerability as well as environmental risks are explored within the comprehensive context of diverse natural hazards and disasters.§Environmental Hazards and Disasters: Contexts, Perspectives and Management includes chapters on key topics such as the application of GIS in hazard studies; resiliency; disasters and poverty; climate change and sustainability and development.§This book provides an essential, interdisciplinary text for students, emergency managers, planners and organisations involved in disaster response and mitigation.§An accessible intermediate level text on natural hazards and disasters for those students wishing to specialise in the subject§Focus on the positive and negative impacts of extreme events.§Interdisciplinary approach§Includes coverage of previously neglected areas of disaster studies such as gender§Includes numerous global case studies and examples of natural hazards and disasters to enhance student understanding§Includes chapters on the application of GIS in hazard studies; resiliency; disasters and poverty; climate change and sustainability and development.