Natural disasters, such as earthquakes or tropical cyclones, are part of the planet we live on. One is constantly being produced somewhere in the world. Although many times they do not cause serious damage, from time to time their intensity is such that it causes significant losses.
In the new edition of the Atlas of the Human Planet of the European Commission Joint Research Center, it is revealed that the number of people living in seismic zones has only increased, to the point that estimates that there are 2.700 billion who are exposed only to earthquakes.
The atlas, which covers the six most important natural hazards, which are earthquakes, volcanoes, tropical cyclone winds, cyclone surges, and floods, examines people's exposure to these phenomena and their evolution. in the last 40 years. Thus, they have been able to verify that there are many people who live exposed to seismic activity, even more than to tsunamis or any other danger. The number of humans living in seismic zones has increased by 93% in these four decades, going from 1,4 billion in 1975 to 2,7 billion in 2015.
In Europe, more than 170 million people are potentially exposed to earthquakes, which represents a quarter of the total population. In Italy, Romania and Greece the proportion of the exposed population in the total population exceeds 80%. But earthquakes are not the only problem for Europeans: eleven million of them live within 100 kilometers of an active volcano, whose eruptions can affect housing, air transport and daily routine.
The Tsunami affect many coastal regions, especially in Asia and especially in Japan, which is where they are produced most followed by China and the United States. On the other hand, floods are the most frequent natural disaster in Asia (76,9% of the world's exposed population) and in Africa (12,2%).
Tropical cyclone winds threaten 1.600 billion people in 89 countries600 million more than in 1975. In 2015, 640 million were exposed to particularly strong cyclonic winds, especially in China and Japan. In China, 50 million are exposed to storm surges as a result of these cyclones, an increase of almost 20 million in the last four decades.
This global analysis is very important, as it helps us to better understand how different phenomena affect the world. It is also useful for the governments of different countries to take effective measures to protect their population.
You can read the study here.