Assessing Threats from Natural Disasters and

Climate ChangeMarc A. Levy

CIESIN, Earth InstituteColumbia University

marc.levy@ciesin.columbia.edu

World Data Center for Human Interactions in the

Environment

Why it matters

1. More people are living in harm’s way2. There are more harms on the way3. The patterns are uneven, and surprising

catastrophes are likely4. There are no easy responses – it will take

sustained, coordinated, focused effort

1) More People are Living in Harm’s Way

Breakthroughs in how georeferenced data can be processed, integrated and analyzed make it possible to characterize natural disaster risks much more precisely than before

We try to focus on risks from multiple hazards

We try to focus on multiple impacts – disasters can affect- development - conflict potential- humanitarian crises- public health- migration

Global Natural Disaster “Hotspots” - Mortality

• Areas of high relative risk based on mortalityHazards examined: drought, flood, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, cyclones

Global Natural Disaster “Hotspots” – Economic Losses

• Areas of high relative risk based on economic lossesHazards examined: drought, flood, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, cyclones

Global Natural Disaster “Hotspots” – Economic Losses Relative to GDP

• Areas of high relative risk based on economic losses as a proportion of GDP densityHazards examined: drought, flood, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, cyclones

These hotspots are defined by locating places in highest 3 deciles, globally, of physical exposure

These hotspots are defined by locating places in highest 3 deciles, globally, of physical exposure

These hotspots are defined by locating places in highest 3 deciles, globally, of deaths attributed to hazard exposure

These hotspots are defined by locating places in highest 3 deciles, globally, of deaths attributed to hazard exposure

These hotspots are defined by locating places in highest 3 deciles, globally, of deaths attributed to hazard exposure

2) There are more harms on the way

Global change is underway on unprecedented scale

It’s more than just climate change – multiple stresses threaten ecological and social systems

These changes will alter historical patterns of some natural disasters – including floods, droughts, landslides, cyclones

Atmosphere

Slide courtesy James Hansen

Presenter�Presentation Notes�This causes the temperature to rise�

Melt descending into a moulin, a vertical shaftcarrying water to ice sheet base.

Source: Roger Braithwaite, University of Manchester (UK). Slide courtesy James Hansen

Surface Melt on Greenland

Jakobshavn Ice Stream in Greenland

Discharge from major Greenland ice streams is accelerating markedly.

Source: Prof. Konrad

Steffen, Univ. of Colorado. Slide courtesy James Hansen

~80% of world’s land surface has been significantly altered by direct human transformation

~40% of all photosynthesis appropriate by humans

Unprecedented change in structure and function of ecosystems

More land was converted to cropland since 1945 than in the 18th and 19th centuries combined

Cultivated Systems in 2000 cover 25% of Earth’s terrestrial surface

(Defined as areas where at least 30% of the landscape is in croplands, shifting cultivation, confined livestock production, or freshwater aquaculture)

Unprecedented change: Aquatic Ecosystems

– Amount of water in reservoirs quadrupled since 1960

– Withdrawals from rivers and lakes doubled since 1960

Intercepted Continental Runoff: 3-6 times as much water in reservoirs as

in natural rivers

(Data from a subset of large reservoirs totaling ~65% of the global total

storage)

Presenter�Presentation Notes�most water use (70% worldwide) is for agriculture.�

Unprecedented change: Biogeochemical Cycles

Since 1960:– Flows of biologically

available nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems doubled

– Flows of phosphorus tripled

> 50% of all the synthetic nitrogen fertilizer ever used has been used since 1985

Human-produced Reactive Nitrogen

Humans produce as much biologically available N as all natural pathways and this may grow a further 65% by

2050

Presenter�Presentation Notes�Synthetic N was first manufactured in 1913.Since 1750, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by about 32% (from about 280 to 376 parts per million in 2003), primarily due to the combustion of fossil fuels and land use changes.�

Significant and largely irreversible changes to species diversity

– Humans have increased the species extinction rate by as much as 1,000 times over background rates typical over the planet’s history

– 10–30% of mammal, bird, and amphibian species are currently threatened with extinction

Geographic extent of maximum fish catch

Source: Daniel Pauly, University of British Columbia)

Drylands are a special case: very dangerous combination of

- Poor baseline conditions-Socioeconomic stresses increasing (esp. populationgrowth)

-Climatic stresses increasing(droughts likely to increase)- Weak institutional capacity

Coastal areas also under extreme pressure; some are very vulnerable

The 1990s increase in population density in the coastal zone is greater than current total density worldwide, for most of the world’s land surface

Total Population in 10-m LECZ

Percentage of Population in 10-m LECZ

To help characterize sea-level rise risk, we identified 10- meter “Low-Elevation Coastal Zones” (LECZs) and counted population within them, by country

46% of pop.

37% of pop.

3) The patterns are uneven, and surprising catastrophes are likely

Vulnerability is a function of physical exposure to hazards and underlying socioeconomic patterns of resilience.

Both exposure and resilience are distributed highly unevenly, in complex ways

We can identify some regions as more dangerous than others, but we cannot reliably predict end-of-chain consequences

There are good reasons to be worried about high-impact catastrophes

Drought (3 consecutive overlapping 3-month seasons with rainfall at least 50% below normal)Not poor Somewhat poor Moderately poor

Poor Extremely poor

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

% o

f pop

ulat

ion

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011 121314 15 19

Drought frequency 1980-2000

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

% o

f pop

ulat

ion

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 121314 1519

Drought frequency 1980-2000

Emerging Infectious Disease Outbreak Risk

Determined through analysis of historical spatial pattern of all known EIDs, examining effect of human population, wildlife population, and climate

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Deciles of Rainfall Deviation(1=below normal; 10=above normal)

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

Prob

abili

ty o

f Hig

h-In

tens

ity O

utbr

eak ] ]

]

]

]]

]

]

]

]

Conditional Probability of High-IntensityOutbreak, by Rainfall Deviation Decile,given ongoing Low or Medium Intensity Conflict

Illustration: Nepal 2002 Outbreak

1

21

4

n=decile of rainfall deviation measure

Rainfall Deviations in Nepal 1979 - 2002

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1979 1984 1989 1994 1999

Year

Sum

of m

onth

ly d

evia

tions

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Non-conflict Zone .Conflict Zone .

Source: Vörösmarty et al. 2000

• 80% of future stress frompopulation

& development, not climate change!

• Future distortions of thewater cycle are inevitable

Water Stress Changes to 2025

UNH

Less stressNo changeMore stress

•

4) There are no easy responses – it will take sustained, focused efforts

What would be most helpful:

Comprehensive assessment of vulnerability to natural hazards in context of both global change and socioeconomic change

- Baseline vulnerability to natural hazards- Plausible projections of physical and social stresses- Identification of simple, direct threats (floods, droughts, disease, etc)- Elaboration of complex scenarios of interest- Articulation of strategies to increase resilience and preparedness

Military sector cannot do this in a vacuum

What’s at stake is more than simple ability to cope with disasters; government legitimacy also vulnerable

Assessing Threats from Natural Disasters and Climate ChangeWhy it matters1) More People are Living in Harm’s WayGlobal Natural Disaster “Hotspots” - MortalityGlobal Natural Disaster “Hotspots” – Economic LossesGlobal Natural Disaster “Hotspots” – Economic Losses Relative to GDPSlide Number 7Slide Number 8Slide Number 9Slide Number 10Slide Number 11Slide Number 122) There are more harms on the way�AtmosphereSlide Number 15Slide Number 16Slide Number 17Slide Number 18Unprecedented change in structure and function of ecosystemsUnprecedented change: Aquatic Ecosystems Unprecedented change: Biogeochemical CyclesSignificant and largely irreversible changes to species diversityGeographic extent of maximum fish catchSlide Number 24Slide Number 25Slide Number 26Slide Number 27Slide Number 28Slide Number 29Slide Number 30Slide Number 31Slide Number 323) The patterns are uneven, and surprising catastrophes are likely�Slide Number 34Slide Number 35Drought (3 consecutive overlapping 3-month seasons with rainfall at least 50% below normal)Emerging Infectious Disease Outbreak RiskSlide Number 38Slide Number 39Illustration: Nepal 2002 OutbreakSlide Number 41Slide Number 424) There are no easy responses – it will take sustained, focused efforts�