1. Disasters in today's world

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In many countries, development focuses on economic growth, while the other elements of development are ignored.

According to the 2009 UNISDR Terminology on Disaster Risk Reduction, sustainable development is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

The Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development reaffirms the commitment of the Member States of the UN to sustainable development, which is viewed as three interdependent, mutually reinforcing pillars, namely, economic development, social development, and environmental protection. 

The neglect of social development and environmental protection that accompanies economic development in many parts of the world is increasing the risk in many communities. In the face of this development-related imbalance, two factors that contribute to increasing disaster risk deserve deeper scrutiny: increasing urbanization, and climate change.

The increase in urbanization associated with inappropriate development makes communities more vulnerable, which is to say more vulnerable to, and less flexible in the face of, the various hazards, which are:

  • Increased pressure on critical services
  • Urbanization in areas subject to natural hazards
  • An increase in technological hazards
  • Costlier disasters
  • High dependency of urban areas on basic and supplementary services (electricity, transportation, telephone, etc.)
     

According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction,  “High population density is a significant risk driver where the quality of housing, infrastructure and services is poor.”



Here are some facts:

  • The world population continues to increase. From approximately 6.5 billion in 2007, it is expected to rise to over 9 billion by 2050. 
  • The population is growing faster in urban areas. According to the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat of the United Nations, the number of inhabitants of urban areas (3.4 billion) in 2008, for the first time in history, equaled the number of inhabitants of rural areas. The world can expect the urban population in 2050 to be 70% of the total, with the rural population peaking at 3.5 billion around 2019 and then beginning an ongoing decline. Practically all the increase in the urban population is expected to occur in the developing countries.
     

Urban and rural growth in more and less developed areas, 1950-2050

grafica1 cap1 eng

  

  • A great number of large cities are located in areas exposed to dangers generated by human beings. Many Latin American and Caribbean capitals are located in areas of major seismic activity (these include Lima, Bogotá, Guatemala City, and Mexico City), and three of the most populous cities on the planet are in Latin America (Mexico City, Buenos Aires, and São Paulo). These cities are exposed to multiple hazards. 

 

Megacities exposed to multiple hazards

  
Disaster risk
City
Tokyo
Mexico City
New York
São Paulo
Mumbai
Delhi
Shanghai
Calcutta
Jakarta
Buenos Aires
Population (millions)
Earthquake
Volcano
Storms
Tornadoes
Flood
Flood marks
35.2
x
 
x
x
x
X
19.4
x
x
x
 
 
 
18.7
x
 
x
 
 
X
18.3
 
 
x
 
x
 
18.2
x
 
x
 
x
X
15
x
 
x
 
x
 
14.5
x
 
x
 
x
X
14.3
x
 
x
x
x
X
13.2
x
 
 
 
x
 
12.6
 
 
x
 
x
X
Source: UNISDR Campaign: My City is Getting Ready, 2010.


A high proportion of the population in these cities is highly at risk. The vulnerability of the land, the quality of building constructions, deficient public services, poor urban planning, and insufficient reinforcing of protective areas are among the reasons for the increase in vulnerability. Port-au-Prince, Haiti provides some of the most significant examples of what can happen when a large number of people living in conditions of high vulnerability are exposed to natural hazards.


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