Read the summary and the most important questions on Environmental Hazards Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster | 9780415681056 | Keith Smith

• 1 Hazard in the environment

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• What happens when an Hawaian vulcano erupts?

  Fast flowing lava due to a low viscosity, that makes the lava more liquidy. 

• Which two types of threats for goods are caused by natural hazards?

  Damage to property and economic loss.

• 1.1 Introduction

• What are typical anxieties that humans have concerning environmental hazards?

  - Death and destruction after a natural hazard happened
  - Technological failures or industrial accedents

• What is meant by potential large-scale losses?

  The more infrastructure / other complex structures built by humans, the more damage can be done by natural hazards.

• Why are various modern communications important?

  Due to cell phones, measuring equipment, internet and social media, details of the latest disaster can be shared and analysed in order to become more aware of events and gain more knowledge on them as well.

• Why is it important for humans to talk bout everyday risks compared to disasters?

  Everyday risks as smoking a cigarette, driving a car, which are choices have a limited amount of influence on a society. But these risks do not kill many people at once or do a lot of damage that disrupt communities, which disasters can do.

• What are examples of natural hazards?

  Geologic - eartquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, avalanches
  Atmospheric - tropical cyclones, tornadoes, hail, ice and snow
  Hydrologic - river floods, coastal floods, drought
  Biologic - epidemic diseases, wildfires

• 1.2 What are the environmental hazards?

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• Why is it important to have an interdisciplinary view on hazards and disasters?

  It is impossible to fully understand how hazards and disasters work by viewing it only from a physical or social point of view. These need to be combined (and often strengthened by economical, political, other environmental views).

• What is a detailed description of a natural hazard?

  It is a natural process that often causes property damage / loss, deaths, loss of services, interruption of social or economical happenings or environmental damage.
  There are two types: natural hazards (geographic and bio events) and technological hazards (major accidents).

• What is a description of a quasi -natural hazard?

  Happening of a river flood for example, can be triggered by natural causes but simultaneously be increased by deforestation or decreased by a dam. Therefore, these hazards are influenced by nature and humans.