Disasters are not natural
Impact of the language
What do you think of when hearing the term “natural disaster”?
Is it an earthquake, a cyclone, or the classic movie plot of glamorous Manhattan swallowed by a massive storm surge? No matter what comes through your mind, the image is likely to contain massive casualties.
In this post, disasters and natural hazards will be mainly focused on, with examples highlighting their differences, and then end up with their impact on modern society.
So, what is a natural disaster? Before answering that, let’s take a look first at the word “natural” in terms of language use. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the term “natural” is defined:
“As found in nature and not involving anything made or done by people.”
This definition makes clear that the term “natural” means something without any human involvement. Anything natural would happen in any case, and nothing can be done to stop or prevent it from happening. Similarly, a “natural disaster” is often considered as an event originated in the environment. In other words, the occurrence of the event is simply a part of a natural phenomenon, and as humans, we are victims, and we don’t have to be responsible for it.
However, can it be possible that none of any human activity is involved in these dreadful incidents?
Probably not.
Hazards versus disasters
Natural hazards, such as earthquakes, cyclones, and flooding, are all neutral terms describing natural processes. They are part of the earth system, existing for many years. Hazards are natural, whilst disasters are not. Disasters are wreaked only when natural hazards confront human activities.
Think of a desert island. One day, a storm hit and caused serious flooding. Judging from the situation, can we call it a disaster?
The answer is negative due to the absence of human activities. No human activity means no casualty or financial loss. As a result, the storm was simply a process of nature, which should be recognized as a natural hazard instead of a disaster.
With the same logic, think again in a situation that a large number of people populated on the island. One day, another storm hit and left people injured and their houses damaged. In this case, can we call it a disaster?
Vulnerability
While natural hazards cannot be prevented, disasters can be. The level of damage caused by a disaster depends on the level of vulnerability of a place. According to IFRC, vulnerability is perceived as a decreased capacity of a place to respond and recover from the impact of a natural or man-made hazard. That is, the higher the vulnerability, the higher the risk to be impacted by a hazard.
Moreover, the level of vulnerability is strongly associated with the context of a society, such as its culture, environment, economy, and politics. In the following paragraphs, this concept will be explained further by examples.
Gorkha Earthquake
An example can be drawn from a massive earthquake that occurred in Nepal. In 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the country, left approximately 9,000 people killed and 22,000 injured. The country’s innate environmental condition, political instability, high social inequality, and poverty together increased its vulnerability, which therefore turns a natural hazard into a disaster.
Due to its unique geographical location, Nepal is one of the most seismically active areas in the world, making it more susceptible to large earthquakes compared to other countries.
Apart from the environmental factor, Nepal’s economic status also plays a significant role in its high level of vulnerability. With Human Development Index (HDI) and GDP figure respectively at 0.574 and 29,040 million USD (2018), ranking 149 and 102 around the world, poverty is a major concern for Nepal. According to GeoHazards International, over the past few decades, poor countries have reduced mortality from earthquake 10 times slower than rich countries. This shows that, although the world has better improved at prevention and response to natural hazards as large earthquakes, countries like Nepal are still left behind.
Moreover, due to high social inequality, disasters impact differently on communities and individuals. In Nepal, widows faced difficulty to access grants to reconstruct their houses because all documentation was on their husband’s names. Moreover, because of the shortage of resources, many women in Nepal have been trafficked into slavery.
The recent unstable politic status also contributes to Nepal’s high level of vulnerability. In 2008, Nepal finalized its National Strategy for Disaster Risk Management. However, due to its fractured political situation, progress for the implementation such as better management of building practices or widespread public awareness activities is still prevented.
Drawing from the experience of the earthquake, it is clear that disasters happen only when society fails to cope with the impact of natural hazards. It is Nepal’s complex social context that lowers its capacity to achieve proper response to natural hazards.
Impact of the language
Although evidence has shown that the occurrence of disaster is based on biases of social contexts, the term “natural disaster” is still widely used throughout media nowadays. We can even see IGOs and INGOs, which considered as “authorities”, continuously use the misleading expression in their published reports.
Language matter. If we continuously addressing the term “natural disasters”, people may attribute all the responsibility and blame to nature and neglect the significance of human actors behind. Furthermore, decision makers can use such perception as an excuse to avoid direct responsibilities, as they don’t have to spare money to reduce consumption and suppress development.
To sum up, disasters are not natural because they involve human activities, and it is the capacity and vulnerability of a society that decides if a natural hazard to be a disaster. Nowadays, the term “natural disaster” is still commonly used. Rather than focusing on nature itself, we need to see disasters with social lenses, so we can effectively reduce vulnerability and achieve better preparation for natural hazards.
References
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