Major Environmental Disasters: Year 2011

Introduction

Environmental catastrophes and the forces of nature they unleash are something to behold, fear and respect. The kind of havoc they cause to the lives of mankind and the planet as a whole are nothing new. But the ferocity, frequency and magnitude of such extreme weather conditions seem to be on an increase since last few decades, and gathering speed by each passing year. Pick up any newspaper any day, and you would find vivid reports of some new event severely ravaging some country.

While most of these events have not been directly linked to climate change, or considered “human-induced”, the possibility of a linkage hasn’t been ruled out either. These incidents seem just another environmental disaster when seen individually, having local or country-wide consequences, but when one steps back and takes in the big picture, the enormity of it all hits and they appear downright frightening.

We at ThinktoSustain.com keep a close watch on all such happenings across the globe. A previous feature by us, “Major Environmental Disasters and Campaigns: Year 2010”, caught the attention and concern of many a reader, and brought to light the significance and urgency of tracking such extreme mood-swings of Mother Nature. The current feature is a follow-up of last year’s feature and is an attempt to keep tabs on environmental incidences of similar extremes from across the globe that have happened since the beginning of this year.

Here, we cover:

• China Hit by Heavy Flooding
• Devastating Earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand
• Chile’s Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcanic Eruption
• Grimsvoetn Volcano Eruption in Iceland
• Japan’s Tōhoku Earthquake & Tsunami
• Wallow Forest-Fire in Arizona & New Mexico
• Flash-Floods in Australia (Queensland and Victoria)
• Joplin Tornado in U.S.
• Rio de Janeiro Floods & Mudslides
• Nabro Volcanic Eruption in Southern Red Sea Region of Eritrea
• Floods in Thailand
• East Africa Drought & Somalia Famine
• Sikkim Earthquake (2011 Himalayan Earthquake)
• Tropical Storm Washi (Sendong) in Philippines