Threatened Livelihoods
Disaster preparedness and well-being DownloaD Graphic 2
A number of factors are bringing about
The graph below illustrates linkages between vulnerability to natural disasters and
an increased risk of natural disasters,
poverty. With more money to spend, a country can better prepare its people against
disaster. Looking at more detailed statistics, in 2004, Hurricane Jeanne claimed more
threatening hundreds of thousands of
than 2 700 victims in Haiti, while in the Dominican Republic fewer than 20 lost their
people and their livelihoods.
lives. This was no coincidence. Dominicans are, on average, four times richer, are better
prepared in terms of education and training, and benefit from improved infrastructure
Growing global population means there
and housing.
is an ever-increasing strain on food sup-
plies and environmental resources. Ever
Caribbean casualties due to hurricanes
larger numbers of people are settling
in coastal areas, which are exposed to
Deaths/million people Annual deforestation Human
exposed/year rate (per cent) development index
hurricanes, tidal surges and rising sea
14 7 1.0
levels.
12 6 0.9
10 5 0.8
As population pressures in coastal areas
increase, many coastal and marine
8 4 0.7
ecosystems – and most freshwater eco-
6 3 0.6
systems – have continued to be heavily 4 2 0.5
degraded, with many completely lost,
2 1 0.4
some irreversibly.
0 0 0.3
Natural hazards have severe adverse
–1 0.2
impacts on lives and socio-economic de- –2 0.1
Sources: CRED 2004,
velopment in SIDS and low-laying costal
FAO 2000, UNDP 2001,
Cuba
Mexico
US
A
bli
c a
Jamaica
Belize
H
ait
i
areas in other developing countries. Hur-
UNEP/DEWA/GRID-Europe
n Repu Guatemal
Preview 2002
Dominica
ricanes and tidal waves that hit Bang-
ladesh and Burma in recent years not
The satellite image below illustrates another factor, that of environmental degradation.
only resulted in thousands being killed The Dominican Republic has over 28 per cent forest cover, while Haiti had reduced its
but also significantly affected economic
forest cover from 25 per cent in 1950 to 1 per cent by 2004. In the image, deforested
development.
Haiti is to the left, while the Dominican Republic is the greener area to the right. This
environmental aspect is significant, because many victims drowned or died in mudflows,
phenomena strongly influenced by land cover change.
The economies of SIDS are particularly
vulnerable to the adverse impact of hurri-
canes. Sea level rise and the increasing
frequency and severity of extreme events
threaten livelihoods and limit adapta-
tion options. Rising seas are also likely
to induce large-scale migration among
the SIDS in the longer term, which could
lead to conflict.
Abandoning islands would also result in
the loss of sovereignty and highlights the
need to reconsider traditional develop-
ment issues as matters of national and
regional security.
0 5 km
Credit: NASA 2002
DISASTERS AND CONFLICTS 25