Why disasters are getting worse

Factors like living conditions and poverty, government capacity to prepare and respond, as well as the process of rebuilding and how efficient that would be, are all factors that will define whether a disaster occurs as a result of the natural hazard.

It states that a disaster is:. This definition clearly differentiates between a hazard, which is natural, and a disaster, which is not. The word takes away the social, political, environmental, and economic context from disaster stories, failing to recognise the social injustices that are present.

The way we talk about disasters affects the way we all perceive the risks that they bring. Getting the term right is crucial because it shapes how we think about disasters and how they are linked to issues like climate change. Our changing climate is making large weather events like droughts, hurricanes, droughts and wildfires worse.

First, the facts: Natural disasters are -- statistically speaking -- getting both worse and more frequent. Wildfire season is longer and more destructive than at any time in recorded history.

In the US, flood zones encompass more homes than ever before. And hurricanes are striking with more destructive power than in years past.

That much is indisputable. From the lab to your inbox. Get the latest science stories from CNET every week. But teasing out what's responsible for making natural disasters worse, and specifically to what extent climate change plays a role, can get muddled pretty quickly. For example, even as fires have become more destructive, some studies have shown a net decrease in wildfire burn area over the last 20 years. And while more people live in flood zones today than ever before, it's partly because there are simply more people than ever before that need housing.

With a topic as politically charged as climate change , any disparity in the data runs the risk of derailing the conversation. So I'm going to stick to the facts, and that means admitting some key concessions that climate scientists have identified as crucial to keeping the discussion on track. First, that "natural disaster" is something of a misnomer. A hurricane that lands on an uninhabited strip of coastline isn't a "disaster" no matter how strong its storm surge.

It takes civilization and human development to create conditions conducive to a disaster. Secondly, that climate change is only one among multiple factors that influence the frequency and severity of wildfires, severe floods, hurricanes and the like. There's simply no magic bullet. With that in mind, let's look at what experts in the field -- climate scientists, meteorologists, statisticians -- have to say about climate change's impact on natural disasters.

Combined, these events result in an average 60, deaths per year , or about 0. The Angeles National Forest burns in the distance beyond professional wildfire photographer Stuart Palley. Yes, but they're still closely linked.

Some examples include earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, droughts, tsunamis and tornadoes. Many natural disasters are beyond human control. Fluctuation in solar radiation infiltrating the atmosphere and oceans give rise to storms in the summer and blizzards in the winter. For example, as environmental pollution increases, humans are contributing more energy to the system ; which strengthens the likelihood of repeated hazards such as flash floods, bushfires, heatwaves and tropical cyclones.

So are natural disasters getting worse? The answer is yes. But the number of climate-related catastrophes has vastly increased.