Living with Risk. A global review of disaster reduction initiatives

Trends in hazards
Until recently, the intensity and frequency of
natural hazards, as events, whether geological
or hydrometeorological in nature, only varied
on very long time-scales due to natural variation
in global temperatures and variation in the
intensity of seismic activity.
Today, in particular hydrometeorological hazards
are increasing due to human activities.
The findings of the Intergovernmental Panel
Risk awareness and assessment
on Climate Change (IPCC) provide a new
outlook about the changing patterns related to
hazards themselves. Certainly, the scale of volcanic
or seismic activity is not altered by
human-induced sources, but it appears that
our changing climate is affecting both the frequency
and intensity of hydrometeorological
hazards and related mass movements.
Although it is very difficult to show scientific
evidence of these changes, projections for the
future invite concern.
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Great natural catastrophes 1950–2001
Source: MunichRe, 2001
The figure below shows that there is currently no major change in the frequency and intensity of
reported earthquakes. Nevertheless, the economic losses caused by earthquakes are increasing.
Earthquakes Located by the NEIC, Magnitude 5 and greater
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