effects of natural disasters on security of country
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Answer:
As the 2011 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake has made all too clear, natural disasters can be very difficult to predict and fully prepare against, and have incredibly far-reaching consequences for the safety and wellbeing of individuals and communities. As in previous natural disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Australian bushfires in 2009, the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2010 Pakistan floods, the impacts on people and society in affected areas are immediate and overwhelming. Such catastrophes tend to exacerbate pre-existing problems and inequalities, with vulnerable parts of the population often disproportionately impacted. For instance, initial estimates suggest that 65% of the deaths from the recent disaster in Japan were of people aged 60 or over. The consequences can be felt for many years, with people suffering as refugees or being displaced within their own country, their livelihoods destroyed, and facing long-term health issues.
How can we best understand and respond to the threats natural disasters pose to human safety and wellbeing?
One approach is to see these all as threats to “human security”. Since its appearance in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 1994 Human Development Report, the concept of human security has rapidly emerged in international politics, with the establishment of the Commission on Human Security in 2001. Whereas a traditional understanding of security emphasizes the military defense of state interests, human security provides an alternative, human-centered perspective that focuses on securing and protecting individuals’ “freedom from want” and “freedom from fear”. It offers a broader understanding of security, by incorporating concerns of development and human rights as well as more traditional issues.