Hazard & Disaster Trends (DP IB Geography)

Revision Note

  • The number of recorded disasters has increased significantly since 1960

  • There are a number of reasons for this, including:

    • Increased population – the world's population has grown from 3 billion to over 8 billion since 1960:

      • This means more people are likely to be impacted by any hazard event

      • Increased population density in urban and coastal areas increases the vulnerable population

    • Increased monitoring and reporting means more hazard events are recorded

  • Most of the increase has been the result of floods and extreme weather

Recorded global disasters 1900–2022

Line graph showing global disasters from 1900 to 2022. The number of disasters gradually increased from 1980, peaking after 2000, and remaining high.
Recorded global disasters 1900–2022
  • The number of tectonic disasters has fluctuated since 1960 but has generally remained steady

  • The slight increase in the number of earthquake disasters does not mean there have been more earthquakes or higher magnitude earthquakes. It results from:

    • Greater urbanisation in seismic zones, which has led to higher population densities and increased building density

    • Population growth, which means more people are living in earthquake-prone regions

    • Population growth being focussed in some of the least developed countries, which are also the most vulnerable due to:

      • Poor building design and construction

      • Poverty

      • Lower levels of education

      • Poor governance

Global tectonic disasters 1900–2022

global-tectonic-disasters

Global tectonic disasters 1900–2022

  • The number of deaths from tectonic hazards fluctuates depending on a range of factors, including:

    • Magnitude

    • Level of development

    • Location

Deaths resulting from tectonic activity

Infographic showing significant deadly seismic and volcanic events, with large red dots for earthquakes and yellow for volcanic activity. Key events and death tolls noted.
Deaths resulting from tectonic activity

                                                  1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010  2020

  • The impact of a mega-disaster such as the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami may skew the overall trend because it leads to so many deaths

  • Volcanic eruptions are less frequent than earthquakes and deaths from eruptions are now rare due to improved monitoring, exclusion zones and evacuation plans

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