Water Wheel July/August 2022: Environmental Disaster Risk

Abstract

Flood hazards in a changing world: Challenges and opportunities in the Garden Route In its 2022 Global Risks Report, the World Economic Forum states that environmental concerns dominate the top five long-term risks (in terms of likelihood) with three of them also being among the top five in terms of impact. Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, as well as climate action and adaptation failure and extreme weather are highlighted as the top three environmental risks over the next ten years. Anthropogenic environmental disasters, natural disasters and water crises are expected to have significant impacts on economic stability and social cohesion over the next decade (World Economic Forum (WEF), 2022). A disaster is a function of the risk process. It results from the combination of hazards, conditions of vulnerability and insufficient capacity or measures to reduce the potential negative consequences of risk.

Categories