This module treats the relationship between hazards and global change;
it introduces students to the complexities of environmental hazards, which
arise from the multiple links among natural, social, and technological
systems. Throughout, we retain a critical viewpoint, keeping in mind
five key questions about hazards and their linkages to global change:
-
Are societies becoming more vulnerable to environmental hazards and disasters?
If so, which hazards may intensify in the future as a consequence
of global environmental changes?
-
What social/physical factors influence changes in human occupance of hazard
zones?
-
How do people respond to environmental hazards and what accounts for differential
adjustments (in the short term) and adaptation (in the long term)?
-
How do societies mitigate the risk of environmental hazards and prepare
for future disasters?
-
How do local risks and hazards become the driving forces behind global
environmental changes?
These questions are addressed mainly in the latter two of three units,
which provide some answers, yet emphasize that simple explanations are
impossible. Unit 1 introduces basic hazard concepts, hazard types,
and characteristics, as well as the five key questions that form the core
of research on hazards and global change. The unit raises the fundamental
question of what environmental hazards are and uses insights from hazard
research to demonstrate the variety of answers to this question; it then
stresses the need for common definitions of hazard-related terms in order
to investigate and communicate societal and physical trends.
Unit 2 (“Are things getting better or worse?”) considers trends in hazard
occurrences, impacts, and societal vulnerability to hazards. The
relatively bleak picture that emerges at the end of this unit -- mainly
as a result of the trends in societal vulnerability -- is the starting
point for Unit 3, which considers how societies respond and adjust to environmental
hazards. Unit 3 explains the ways in which humans respond to and
mitigate hazards and emphasizes the differential vulnerability of various
populations. Each unit includes focus issues, which highlight timely
topics and provide specific examples.
The module provides students with a basic understanding of hazards,
vulnerability, impacts, and mitigation strategies; it also gives students
an opportunity to consider the complex relationships among social, geophysical,
and technological factors and what these imply for future hazard events
and experiences. Students actively engage with the material through
mapping, role playing, media analysis, group discussion, numeracy, and
graphing. Throughout, the module challenges students to take a critically
aware stance on the subjects of global change and hazards.