Societal Hazards Quiz

Societal Hazards

• Societal hazards are caused by human activities and choices, and can endanger populations and the environment.
• They are derived from sociopolitical and economic activities, cultural activities, human behavior, and the use of technology.

Vulnerability

• Vulnerability refers to the characteristics and circumstances of a community, system, or asset that make it susceptible to hazards.
• Vulnerable populations include pregnant and lactating women, senior citizens, children, and persons with disabilities (PWD).

Risks

• Risk is the combination of the probability of an event and its negative consequences.
• It involves the probability and consequences of exposure to a hazard.

Capacity

• Capacity refers to the combination of strengths, attributes, and resources available within a community, society, or organization that can be used to achieve agreed goals.

Community

• A community includes people, property, services, livelihoods, and environment, which are exposed to hazards.

Case Study: Central Philippines

• Cultural norms and perception of modesty in central Philippines have lowered the swimming capabilities of women and girls, with a transgenerational effect.

Physical Vulnerability

• The paradigm shift towards economic development through effective utilization of resources has jeopardized physical and natural reserves in certain regions.
• Industrial development, such as mining, has negatively impacted strategic resources in upland, lowland, and coastal areas.
• Threats to natural protective shields, including mangroves, watersheds, forest covers, and topsoil, have caused profound impacts on people's lives, livelihoods, food security, health, and wellbeing.

Informal Urban Settlements

• Growing informal urban settlements have led to the proliferation of substandard materials and poor construction.
• This increases the vulnerability to earthquakes and flooding, as well as the probability of water sanitation and hygiene related diseases due to lack of infrastructure, poor drainage systems, and lack of sanitation.

Future of Disaster Risk

• The projected impacts of climate change on agricultural production are dire, with an estimated 17% increase in people at risk of hunger by 2050.
• Climate change is also expected to cause yearly losses of 10% to per capita GDP and an overall yearly cost to the country's economy of over US$ 3.5 billion.

Concept and Types of Disaster

• Emergency refers to an actual threat to an individual's life or to public health and safety that needs an immediate response.
• Hazard refers to any potential threat to public safety and/or public health, and can be caused by natural phenomena, failure of man-made sources of energy, or human activity.

Types of Hazards

• Natural hazards: naturally occurring physical phenomena, such as earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic activities.
• Technological hazards: involve all transport systems, land, sea, and air, and can affect the infrastructure that supports these systems as public and private services.
• Biological hazards: cover a range of hazards of organic origin, can cause significant loss of life affecting people, animals, plants, crops, livestock, and endangered phona and flora, and can lead to severe economic and environmental losses.