Search

Begin New Search Topic Natural Disasters Publication Year within 3 Years

31. Tritium Troubles: The Politics of Fukushima’s Treated Water Release in the Asia-Pacific and Beyond

Author:
Aurelio Insisa
Publication Date:
09-2023
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:
Following approval from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Japan has begun to release into the Pacific Ocean treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on 24 August. The power plant was the site of the nuclear disaster that occurred on 11 March 2011 as a consequence of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Water has been continuously pumped into the nuclear power plant to cool down the reactors’ fuel rods since the disaster. However, current treatment methods are unable to eliminate tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, resulting in the storage of tons of contaminated water in thousands of tanks on site. The current plans consequently entail the release of more than a million tons of tritium-contaminated water. The Japanese authorities, the IAEA and a majority of scientists concur that the concentration of tritium in the stored water falls within the safety limits.[1] Nevertheless, the release of water containing tritium from the site has encountered opposition from environmental activists and ordinary citizens within and outside Japan. It has also faced criticism from a minority of scientists who argue that the consequences of the release remain unpredictable. This cross-border measure has highlighted, and somehow even exacerbated, political tensions in the Asia-Pacific. Indeed, it has occurred within a regional political order that remains in flux, featuring rampant competition between the US and China, Japan’s own ongoing overhaul of national defence and a consequential tilt in the foreign policy of South Korea after the 2022 elections in favour of Washington and Tokyo. Furthermore, the media clamour surrounding the water release has also extended beyond the region, fuelling the public debate on nuclear energy in several Western countries, including Italy.
Topic:
Environment, Natural Disasters, Nuclear Energy, and Radiation
Political Geography:
Japan, China, South Korea, Asia-Pacific, and Fukushima

32. The Humanitarian Response in Post-Earthquake Syria: An Urgent Need for Depoliticisation

Author:
Munqeth Othman Agha
Publication Date:
03-2023
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:
Less than four days following the deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on 6 February 2023, Syrians from the less-impacted areas in the northeast sent a convoy of 140 trucks carrying humanitarian aid toward the northwest.[1] Solidarity convoys drove successfully through checkpoints across different zones of control, including those controlled by the Kurdish Autonomous Administration (AA) in northeast Syria, the Syrian regime and the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) in Turkish-influenced areas in northern Syria. While doing so, they overtook other convoys sent by the AA and the UN Damascus that were stuck behind for different political and logistic reasons. Search and rescue activities in northwest Syria were primarily led by local efforts (in particular the Syrian Civil Defense or the White Helmets),[2] with very few international rescue teams joining, especially in the early days. Eyeing this, Syrians furiously, but also sarcastically, wondered how ordinary Syrians already living in harsh living conditions were able to mobilise more aid and deliver it faster than the UN and other INGOs. This event adds another episode to the long history of UN structural failure to deliver aid to disaster-struck zones in the country since the outbreak of the conflict in 2011. As living conditions have never been worse in Syria, and the humanitarian system has never been more paralysed and politicised, there is no more rightful time than now to rethink the whole system of aid delivery.
Topic:
Natural Disasters, Earthquake, Humanitarian Response, and Economic Aid
Political Geography:
Middle East and Syria

33. North Korea’s Climate Change Challenges and the Need for International Cooperation

Author:
Dawool Kim
Publication Date:
10-2023
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP)
Abstract:
North Korea recognized the importance of addressing climate change early on and has been an active participant in international cooperation on climate change. However, North Korea's vulnerability to climate change is still considered to be very high, and the country has been unable to participate in the international community's efforts to support climate change adaptation in developing countries due to sanctions. This study aims to analyze the climate change challenges that North Korea faces focusing on natural disasters and agriculture. For this purpose, it not only refers to domestic and international statistics, literature, and media data but also uses real-time satellite data to provide empirical evidence on climate change impacts and policy performance in North Korea. Also, It suggests the need for South Korea to support North Korea’s adaptation to climate change, especially in cooperation with the international community.
Topic:
Agriculture, Climate Change, International Cooperation, Natural Disasters, and Adaptation
Political Geography:
Asia and North Korea

34. Addressing Earthquake Risk in India

Author:
India International Centre (IIC)
Publication Date:
04-2023
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
India International Centre (IIC)
Abstract:
Earthquakes are among the major hazards in India. The areas vulnerable to earthquakes are the plate boundary regions, e.g., Himalaya, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, northeast India and some of the regions in plate interior, e.g., Kachchh. Unlike other hazards such as cyclones, tsunamis or floods, where forecasts for their likely arrival are made, earthquakes strike without any warning. The current scientific knowledge is not sufficient to predict earthquakes. Hence it is necessary to assess our vulnerability to impacts of earthquakes and ensure preparedness to mitigate their effects on society. The development of such resilience can certainly help to avoid disasters. This issue has to be addressed at three levels: a) earth system level or status of knowledge about earthquake generation processes and it’s hazard potential; b) social system level or response mechanism, role of government, private sector and nongovernment organisations, and infrastructure development; and c) human system level or consciousness, awareness and readiness of people towards an earthquake hazard. Today, in our country, monitoring of earthquakes, estimating earthquake parameters, and disseminating this information has become very efficient. All the earthquake monitoring systems have been networked to provide data in the shortest possible time. It is well known that earthquakes do not kill people; poorly designed and built buildings do. The building codes designed to minimise the impact of earthquakes depend on potential risks from hazards. Microzonation maps, useful in assessing seismic hazards and risk potential, seismic response of engineering structures and land-use planning maps, have been prepared for many cities. During the last two decades, the response mechanism has been made very efficient. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) along with the central and state governments have been provided necessary relief and rescue. Still, there are certain gaps and many questions to be addressed. a) Is there is a possibility of a large earthquake in Himalaya, especially in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, in the near future? If so, what actions do we need to take? b) How do we use our current understanding acquired through research in objective hazard assessment? What are the shortcomings, what should, can and needs to be done? c) How can microzonation maps be integrated in urban planning? What are the impediments? d) Are there any precursors to earthquakes? What is the status of precursor research in the country? e) Is early warning of earthquakes possible and can it be safely implemented? What is the current status of our knowledge about earthquake warning systems and their effectiveness? f) What are triggered earthquakes? What is the state of knowledge and can they be avoided? g) What is the status of the response mechanism (organisational strength) at the central, state and local levels? How effective is communication with people? h) What is the status for providing relief and rescue in an earthquake event? What are the preparations for providing medical care, shelter and food? i) What kind of public outreach programmes are required? How can we sensitise people, especially children? To discuss these issues and to provide possible solutions, a Workshop was organiaed on 12 April 2023 at the India International Centre, New Delhi. What follows are the presentations made by experts in the field
Topic:
Natural Disasters, Crisis Management, Earthquake, and Risk Assessment
Political Geography:
South Asia and India

35. Northwestern Syria in the Time of Cholera, Earthquakes, and Environmental Degradation

Author:
Marwa Daoudy, Muzna Dureid, and Ethan Mayer-Rich
Publication Date:
07-2023
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Abstract:
The February 6, 2023, earthquake originating near Gaziantep, Turkey displaced thousands of people throughout Syria’s northwest. At the same time, Syrians have had to contend with a host of other challenges, including acute poverty, water insecurity, wildfires, and disease, all of which the earthquake exacerbated. As a delicate political landscape makes delivering life-saving aid in the northwest increasingly difficult, the future of Syria’s internally displaced hangs in the balance.
Topic:
Environment, Health, Politics, Natural Disasters, Reform, Humanitarian Crisis, Earthquake, and Cholera
Political Geography:
Middle East, Syria, and Levant

36. Analysis of Sweden's Attempt to Join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization After the Earthquake in Turkey

Author:
Rista Herjani, Indriyanti Alghina Habiba, and Surwandono Surwandono
Publication Date:
12-2023
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
AUSTRAL: Brazilian Journal of Strategy International Relations
Institution:
Postgraduate Program in International Strategic Studies, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Abstract:
After Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Sweden to hand over the Kurdistan Workers' Party (Partiya Karkêren Kurdistan, PKK) in order to secure Turkey's approval to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), tensions between the two countries exploded once again. Several weeks after the tension heated up, Turkey was abruptly hit by a catastrophic earthquake on February 6, 2023, leaving the country instantly, just a few weeks after the incendiary incident. The Turkish government then proclaimed a level 4 emergency and promptly requested assistance from other countries. The aim of the article is to shed light on how Sweden used the Turkish earthquake to ratify its NATO membership. To answer the problems raised by this scientific literature, this research employs qualitative descriptive methodologies, keeping in mind the idea of disaster diplomacy. This study includes information from various literary sources, including journal publications, government websites and news items from various online media. The results revealed that Sweden used systematic disaster diplomacy to its advantage, offering various aids to the victims of the earthquake in the hope that Turkey would postpone the ratification of its NATO membership.
Topic:
NATO, Diplomacy, Natural Disasters, and Earthquake
Political Geography:
Europe, Turkey, Middle East, and Sweden

37. Trust a few: natural disasters and the formation of trust in Africa

Author:
Robert Mackay, Astghik Mavisakalyan, and Yashar Tarverdi
Publication Date:
12-2023
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
United Nations University
Abstract:
Individuals are at their most mental plasticity in their impressionable years (ages 18–25 years) forming long-term attitudes and behaviours essential to functioning in a society, such as trust. In this paper we ask how exposure to natural disasters within the impressionable years may affect the formation of trust by matching data from over 1,000 disaster occurrences with data from 88,670 individuals across 36 African nations. Exploiting the frequency of disaster exposure across the impressionable years, we show that disaster exposure has a negative and significant association with generalized trust. Additionally, we show that disasters experienced during the impressionable years have an impact on other dimensions of interpersonal and institutional trust. Our findings are robust to a battery of tests and add to the evidence base on the lasting impacts of natural disasters on individuals and societies.
Topic:
Natural Disasters, Crisis Management, Institutions, and Trust
Political Geography:
Africa

38. Climate Justice: Loss and damage action research: Case studies of Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe

Author:
Sandra Bhatasara, Helen Jeans, Juliet Suliwa Kasito, Lesley Macheka, and Rosa Mate
Publication Date:
11-2023
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
This study was undertaken to support and empower Southern African leaders, activists, civil society organizations (CSOs) and policymakers, in the lead up to COP 27 and beyond, in the debate on the losses and damages caused by climate impacts. The study used an ‘action research’ approach by supporting the collective and inclusive documentation and sense-making of the lived experiences of loss and damage, and the co-production of a loss and damage narrative, through case studies and participatory workshops with Southern African survivors, communities, activists, civil society and decision-makers.
Topic:
Climate Change, Natural Disasters, Decolonization, Flood, Drought, and Loss and Damage (L&D)
Political Geography:
Africa, Mozambique, and Malawi

39. Maui Wildfires: Opportunities and Lessons in Resiliency for the Pacific Region

Author:
Perry Arrasmith and Cameron Deptula
Publication Date:
11-2023
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
East-West Center
Abstract:
The August 2023 Maui Wildfires wrought catastrophic damage on Maui and revealed a range of tragic vulnerabilities facing the State of Hawai‘i. A few early lessons from Hawai‘i’s experiences provide key insights for communities across the Indo-Pacific and should be harnessed to promote action to mitigate future disasters.
Topic:
Climate Change, Environment, Natural Disasters, Resilience, and Wildfires
Political Geography:
Asia-Pacific, Hawaii, United States of America, and Maui

40. Ecological Threat Report 2023

Author:
Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP)
Publication Date:
11-2023
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP)
Abstract:
This is the fourth edition of the Ecological Threat Report (ETR), which analyses ecological threats in 221 independent states and territories. Produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), the report covers 3,594 sub-national areas which account for 99.99 per cent of the world's population. The ETR assesses threats relating to food insecurity, water risk, natural disasters, and demographic pressure. The research takes a multi-faceted approach by analysing ecological threats at the national, subnational, and city level, while also assessing the threats against societal resilience and levels of peace. Comparing ecological threats against societal resilience enables IEP to identify the global regions, countries, and subnational areas most at risk of an ecological disaster, both now and into the future. The key finding from the 2023 ETR is that without concerted international action, current levels of ecological degradation will substantially worsen, thereby intensifying a range of social issues, such as malnutrition and forced migration. Current conflicts will escalate and multiply as a result, creating further global insecurity. IEP estimates that by 2050, 2.8 billion people will reside in countries facing severe ecological threats, compared to 1.8 billion in 2023, with 1.1 billion of these people living in countries with low societal resilience.
Topic:
Climate Change, Environment, Natural Disasters, Water, Food Security, Peace, Ecology, and Threat Assessment
Political Geography:
Global Focus