HUMAN INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT-FITTER ONLINE NOTE

HUMAN INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT 

i)- Humans need to interact with the environment to obtain our food, water, fuel, medicines, building materials and many other things. 

ii)- Advances in science and technology have helped us to exploit the environment for our benefit, but we have also introduced pollution and caused environmental damage. 

iii)- Humans impact the environment in several ways. 

iv)- Common effects include decreased water quality, increased pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, depletion of natural resources and contribution to global climate change. 

v)- Some of these are the direct result of human activities, whereas others are secondary effects that are part of a series of actions and reactions. 

vi)- Water Pollution 

vii)- Air Pollution 

viii)- Climate Change 

ix)- The impact of environmental problems on humans are significant, affecting all human activities, including health and socio-economic development. 

x)- The links between human activity and the environment are complex and varied but can be Grouped into two main types of activity: 

a)- Use of natural resources such as land, food, water, soils, minerals, plants and animals 

b)- Production of wastes from a range of activities including agriculture, industry and mining, as well as wastes from our own bodies.

 

HUMAN IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

DISASTERS 

A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources. 

(VULNERABILITY+ HAZARD) / CAPACITY   = DISASTER   

Disaster Types:-   

1)- Natural Disasters 

Natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth; examples are floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, and other geologic processes.

NATURAL HAZARDS

2)- Natural hazards are naturally occurring physical phenomena caused either by rapid or slow onset events which can be- 

3)- Geophysical (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic activity) 

4)- Hydro logical (avalanches and floods) 

5)- Climatological (extreme temperatures, drought and wildfires) 

6)- Meteorological (cyclones and storms/wave surges)  

7)- Biological (disease epidemics and insect/animal plagues). 

8)- Technological or man-made hazards (complex emergencies/conflicts, famine, displaced populations, industrial accidents and transport accidents) are events that are caused by humans and occur in or close to human settlements. This can include environmental degradation, pollution and accidents. 

List of various disasters: 

i. Water and Climate related disasters 

a) Floods and drainage management 

b) Cyclones 

c) Tornadoes and Hurricanes     

d) Hailstorms 

e) Cloud burst 

f) Heat wave and Cold wave 

g) Snow avalanches 

h) Droughts 

i) Sea erosion 

j) Thunder and lighting 

k) Tsunami 

CYCLONES

TSUNAMI

ii. Geological related disasters  

a) Landslides and mudflows 

b) Earthquakes 

c) Dam failure/Dam bursts 

d) Mine disasters 

EARTHQUAKES

iii. Chemical, industrial and nuclear 

related disasters 

a) Chemical and industrial disasters 

b) Nuclear disasters 

VIZAG GAS LEAK-2020

BHOPAL GAS LEAK 1984

iv. Accident related disasters  

a) Forest fires 

b) Urban fires 

c) Mine flooding 

d) Oil spills 

e) Major building collapse 

f) Serial bomb blasts 

g) Festival related disasters 

h) Electrical disasters and fires 

i) Air, road and rail accidents 

j) Boat Capsizing 

k) Village fire 

v. Biological related disasters  

a) Biological disasters and epidemics 

b) Pest attacks 

c) Cattle epidemics 

d) Food poisoning  

There are different types of natural disasters with different causes. For example, the causes of an earthquake are not the same as of forest-fire. Natural disasters are caused due to different reasons like soil erosion, seismic activity, tectonic movements, air pressure, and ocean currents, etc. A natural disaster is with us since the beginning of the earth and it will continue to cause further damage and loss of life across the globe. 

COVID 19

Disaster Management Cycle  

Steps of Emergency Management 

Prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery are the five steps of Emergency Management. 

Prevention means actions taken to avoid and incident.  Stopping an incident from occurring.  Deterrence operations and surveillance. 

Mitigation is a type of long-term, pre-disaster planning which involves sustained expenditures on structural and non- structural efforts to reduce or eliminate future risks. 

 

Disaster Management Cycle

Preparedness: 

Planning how to respond. Examples: preparedness plans; emergency exercises/training; warning systems.  

Response: 

Initial actions taken as the event takes place. It involves efforts to minimize the hazards created by a disaster. Examples: evacuation; search and rescue; emergency relief. 

Recovery: 

Returning the community to normal. Ideally, the affected area should be put in a condition equal to or better than it was before the disaster took place. Examples: temporary housing;