Humanity as an agent of natural disasters

Abstract

It is evident, that natural processes will always occur and that disasters are simply a result of the inappropriate adaptation of society to live with such processes. However, it is also evident that occasionally the anthropogenic actions or inactions enhance the disaster potential. Extensive use of natural resources changes the environment as we know it, for example, extensive groundwater extraction caused land subsidence of up to 3.9 m in some Chinese cities (Xu et al., 2008) and geothermal fluid extraction in New Zealand led to a subsidence of about 15 m since 1970 (Allis et al., 2009). Inappropriate agricultural practices can result in extensive soil erosion (Uri, 2000), and artificial water reservoirs may destabilize slopes and trigger possible failures that could produce disasters (Kiersch, 1980; Genevois and Ghirotti, 2005). As early as 1999, Hooke showed that for the USA, more sediment had been moved by humans than under natural conditions. The key issue for the future is not to assign responsibility or blame to specific groups or individuals in the discussion on the impact of humanity on the environment. It is most important that we better understand the environment, but is also important to understand the social systems and in particular the interaction between society and environment. In order to make sustainable decisions, we have to be fully aware of potential consequences, to weigh the negative and positive responses of development based not only on short-term considerations, but also reflecting upon long-term environmental changes. It is essential to find a consensus within all affected parties, that is, by applying risk governance principles. Herein, the monitoring of our current environment, the modeling of acting processes, and the definition of scenarios helps society to live with the risk. Our current knowledge on previous disasters is very limited, but largely important to determine the actual role of humanity as an agent of natural disaster. Historical information on former natural disasters will help us to understand the processes involved and the related consequences.