1. Hazards and risk Risk, resilience and threshold
Geophysical, hydrological and atmospheric hazards
Hazard zone mapping
EXIT
A-LEVEL GEOGRAPHY TEACHING AND LEARNING RESOURCES

2. What is risk?
What risks have you been exposed to so far today and how have you mitigated against them?
For example, crossing the road presents risk. What do you do to reduce that risk?
Author note: change image to image from textbook
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3. What is risk?
The probability of a hazard event occurring and creating loss of lives and livelihood.
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4. Can you define the following terms?
Risk
Hazard
Vulnerability
Capacity to cope
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5. Can you define the following terms?
The probability of a hazard event occurring and creating loss of life.
Risk
A perceived natural event which has the potential to threaten both life and property.
Hazard
A high risk combined with an inability of individuals and communities to cope.
Vulnerability
The ability of affected communities to cope with a given hazard.
Capacity to cope
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6. R=H×V C Can you explain this equation? Risk Hazard Vulnerability
The probability of a hazard event occurring and creating loss of life.
Risk
A perceived natural event which has the potential to threaten both life and property
Hazard
A high risk combined with an inability of individuals and communities to cope.
Vulnerability
The ability of affected communities to cope with a given hazard.
Capacity to cope
R=H×V C
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7. What kinds of risks are there?
Task
Study the photograph taken at Birling Gap, Sussex.
Make a list that categorises the different kinds of hazards shown in this image, based upon what or who they affect.
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8. What kinds of risks are there?
Hazards to people
Death and severe injury.
Disease and stress.
Hazards to goods
Economic losses.
Infrastructure damage.
Hazards to the environment
Pollution.
Loss of flora and fauna.
Loss of amenity.
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9. Mapping tectonic hazard zones
Task
Using the map below annotate areas of the world that are regularly exposed to tectonic hazards. Create your own key to illustrate each of the hazards. Start off by thinking about events in recent memory and then use the table at the bottom to complete some internet-based research.
KEY
California, USA
Japan
Indonesia
Philippines
Italy
Earthquake
Volcano
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10. Useful websites
USGS has real time global earthquake data.
Smithosian Institution Volcanism Program has real time volcanic output data in the ‘Reports’ section.
UNISDR PreventionWeb - Hazards has data covering a variety of hazards.
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11. Why do people remain exposed to hazard risks?
There are four main reasons:
Changing risks
Lack of alternatives
Cost–benefit analysis
Risk perception
Task
Study the images on the following slides which show four areas of the world where people continue to live in areas of high risk. Match each reason to a photo.
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12. The fertile lower slopes of Mount Etna, Sicily.
Caribbean coast, Costa Rica.
Settlements have been established here for over a hundred years but adaptations are needed in the face of global sea level rise.
The densely populated island resort of Phi Phi in Thailand was extremely badly effected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami but has since repopulated due to the unprecedented nature of the event.
Housing on a polluted river bank in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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13. Cost-benefit analysis
The fertile lower slopes of Mount Etna, Sicily.
Caribbean coast, Costa Rica.
Settlements have been established here for over a hundred years but adaptations are needed in the face of global sea level rise.
Cost-benefit analysis
Changing risks
Lack of alternatives
Risk perception
The densely populated island resort of Phi Phi in Thailand was extremely badly effected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami but has since repopulated due to the unprecedented nature of the event.
Housing on a polluted river bank in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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14. People think about and react to risk in different ways
Task
Explain this diagram to a neighbour.
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15. Measuring risk High risk, high security (e.g. California)
High risk, low security (e.g. Haiti, Mali, Bangladesh)
Low risk, high security
(e.g. UK)
Low risk, low security
(e.g. Bolivia, Angola)
People living in areas of high physical exposure to hazards and with high levels of human vulnerability will be the most at risk. These people are mostly found in the poorest parts of the world.
Physical exposure to hazards (risk)
Human vulnerability to disaster (insecurity)
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