Routledge Physical Environment
1 total work
Natural hazards have always been a part of human history. In the modern world, however, people and property are at risk not only from geophysical events, such as earthquakes and floods, but also from industrial explosions, the release of toxic substances and major transport accidents. Environmental Hazards covers all the major rapid-onset events - seismic, mass movement, atmospheric, hydrologic and technologic hazards - which directly threaten life on a community scale. Despite diverse origins and differential impacts, hazards create similar sorts of risks and disaster-reduction choices. Yet, the strategic response range of risk and impact assessment and reduction can only be judged in context. The author integrates the insights of both the earth and social sciences and employs a global range of case studies to present a complete introduction to environmental hazards.