A natural disaster is any calamitous event caused by the effects of natural phenomena rather than human activity that produces great loss of life or property, or threatens the environment. Natural disasters are primarily weather and climate events, but can also be volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides. No part of the world is immune to these phenomena, although specific geographic regions are more prone to certain kinds of disasters due to local factors such as geological formations or topography.
The most common causes of natural disasters are flooding, storms, earthquakes, and volcanoes. These natural calamities can kill large numbers of people, and cause severe economic damage in their wake. Hundreds of thousands are displaced each year, and many people lose their homes when these events occur. In general, natural disasters can be more severe in poorer countries because of fewer resources to recover from them.
The frequency of natural disasters has been increasing. This may be partly because of global warming, which is likely to lead to more frequent and severe floods, droughts, wildfires, and heat waves. But other factors are at play as well, such as urbanization and the exploitation of natural resources. Local efforts to mitigate the risk of these events include promoting safer buildings, setting up early warning systems, and educating people about safe practices during a crisis. Differential vulnerability among social groups within a community is also important in assessing disaster risks. For example, elderly individuals and children tend to be disproportionately harmed by natural disasters because of their limited ability to respond rapidly to environmental changes, and their reduced cognitive abilities to process hazard information.