Climate Hazards
Welcome to Climate Hazards!
As our climate deteriorates, extreme climatic events such as floods, storms, wildfires, landslides, and heatwaves are becoming more common, with more and more people, places, and infrastructure vulnerable. Planning for the future must account for potential vulnerability to more frequent climate hazards. This course will explore the physical causes and consequences of climate hazards, examine the risk factors which leave people, places, and infrastructure vulnerable, and develope your ability to assess these risks with a view to adaption and mitigation.
On this page, you will be able to view the course information and learning outcomes.
Lecture content and other materials can be found in the individual topic sections.
Course Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Explain the causes, processes, consequences, risk, and mitigation of select climate hazards
- Recognise risk factors which leave people, places, and infrastructure vulnerable to climate hazard events
- Compile relevant information on climate hazards from a range of sources
- Assess hazards and risks from climate hazards in particular geographic locations, and cartographically illustrate this through creation of hazard maps
- Evaluate plans on the basis of hazard and risk assessment
- Recognise both the local and global impact of decisions and actions with respect to climate hazards
- Embrace the active use of data and research to drive improvements and positive change
Syllabus (indicative content)
This course will examine the nature, extent, frequency, risk, and potential for adaption and mitigation against a range of climate hazards, including flooding, wildfires, landslides, and heatwaves. Drawing heavily on case studies, including media coverage and the academic literature, participants will explore these hazards from both physical and social geographic perspectives. We will consider the causes and geographic distribution of these natural events, as well as examining how risk, vulnerability, and consequences vary in different geographic areas due to geology, geomorphology, hydrology, demographics, socioeconomic factors, and more. Participants will develop the skills necessary to assess the hazardousness of particular geographic areas, to cartographically illustrate risk by creating hazard maps, and to use geospatial data on climate hazards to inform decision-making and strategies for adaption and mitigation.
Course Outline
Lectures:
Recorded lectures are available through the topic pages.
Earth and Climate Hazards and Vulnerability Wind and Water Hazards Temperature Hazards Hazard Case Studies
Recommended Resources
Key texts
Keller, E.A. and Devecchio, D.E. 2016 Natural hazards : Earth’s processes as hazards, disasters, and catastrophes. 3rd Edition, Routledge, London. ISBN:9781351978224.
Wisner, B., Blaikie, P., Cannon, T., and Davis, I. 2004 At Risk: Natural hazards, people’s vulnerability and disasters. 2nd Edition, Routledge, London. ISBN 0203428765 (ebook), 0415252164 (paperback).
Wisner, B., Gaillard, J.C., Kelman, I. 2012 The Routledge handbook of hazards and disaster risk reduction. Routledge, Abingdon. ISBN:113691868X DOI:10.4324/9780203844236
Other texts
Kelman, I. 2020 Disaster by choice : how our actions turn natural hazards into catastrophes. Oxford University Press, Oxford. ISBN:0198841345.
Academic Journals
NPJ Natural Hazards link
Natural Hazards link
Natural Hazards Research link
International Journal of Disaster Risk Science link