environmental protection and disaster reduction

7/30/2019 Environmental Protection and Disaster Reduction

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ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION AND DISASTER

REDUCTION

M. Anand

Associate ProfessorSchool of Environmental Studies

CUSAT, Kochi 682 022


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INTRODUCTION

The Environmental is made up of theearth, water, atmosphere and biosphere

which form the environmental pillars


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Environmental pillars provide the physical

resources and ecosystems services on

which human life depends.


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Growing evidence that many aspects of theenvironment are still being degraded, forexample:

In 1996 25% of the worlds 4,630 mammals and11% of the 9,675 kind species were at thesignificant risk of entanchment. More than half

of the worlds coral reefs are threatened byhuman activities. 80% of the forests thatoriginally covered the earth have been cleared.


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Africa is the only continent on which

poverty is expected to rise during the next

century. 500 million hectares of land have

been affected by soil degradation sinceApril 1950


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An estimated 21 millions barrels of oil run

into the Oceans each year from street run-

off, effluent from factories, and from ships

flushing their wastes and


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Climate change threatens to destroy the

majority of the worlds coral reefs, as well

as wreak havoc on the fragile economies

of small island developing states.


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UNEP has the mandate for providing

leadership and encouraging partnership in

caring for the environment by inspiring,

informing and enabling nations and peopleto improve the quality of life without

compromising that of future generations.


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Human Environmental Protection

Disaster Deduction - Nexus

Sustainable development rate on threepillars, namely, Society, Economy and

Environment.


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Environmental protection is a major

component of sustainable development

and in consistent with poverty reduction as

well as with the prevention and mitigationof disasters.


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Globally, the trends of increasing

demographic pressure is escalating

environmental degradation, increasing

human vulnerability and the intensity of theimpacts of disasters.


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Factories increasing the severity of

catostrophic disaster (in Africa)

Widespread and uncontrolled

deforestation and destructing vegetation

cover which also disrupts catchments

areas


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Impact of Climate: - induced changes on

the environment and social system.

Increase in drought, flood and other

extreme events negatively affect foodsecurity, water resources, human health,

industrial production and infrastructure.

Changes in precipitation and land useintensities worsens desertification.


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Growing human populations have to live in

vulnerable lands in cities and along coast

lines.


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Lack of an existence of weak early

warming environmental emergency and

disaster management systems in many

countries; and


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Unfortunate human and politically induced

conflicts and situations impacting

adversely on the environment, for

example, the so-called environmentalrefugees and displacement. These

interfere grossly with security access, food

security and environmental sustenance.


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As the frequency of disasters increase, it

has become evident that rather

government authorities can afford to meet

the rising cost of compensating affectedpeople for the losses incurred.


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Affordable solution lies in environmental

protection and in prevention and

preparedness for disasters.


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The environment plays an important

protective role from the effects of

disasters, for example, important wetlands

functions include: Water storage, stormprotection, flood mitigation, shoreline

stabilization and erosion control.


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Many communities all over the world

depend on natural resources for their

livelihoods. They are vulnerable to

changes in the environment and to theimpacts of extreme natural events.


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When the environment becomes degraded

all forms of life are threatened.


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UNEPs work focuses in inspiring people

to protect the integrity of the environment

resources and use them in sustainable

manner through promotion of developmentof better policies, plans and programmes

for effective environmental management at

the national, sub-regional, regional andglobal levels.


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Environmental protection and disaster risk

reduction, support and complement each

other.


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Environmental protection and disaster

management must therefore always be

integrated into any policies, plans and

programmes for disaster risk reduction.


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Disaster reduction are measures taken to

reduce the vulnerability of the socio-

economic system and the environment to

disasters.


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Measures comes a wide spectrum of

activities ranging from avoiding disasters

altogether (Prevention) to measures aimed

at limiting the severity of a disaster when itstrikes.


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Examples of measures include integrated

policies for environmental and disaster

management, sensitization and awareness

raising, capacity building, forecastingdisasters, early warning and responding to

disasters, information on damages,

restoration and rehabilitation andenvironmental and disaster vulnerability

mapping.


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Community-based environmental pollution

and disaster reduction approaches are

therefore very important in reducing

impacts of disasters because it is at thecommunity level that the physical, social

and economic risks can be adequately

assessed and managed.

environmental protection and disaster reduction

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