10 to 20 centimeters [four to eight inches] in the past century, and
Researchers point to two possible mechanisms. One is the prospect of the
melting of land-based polar ice and glaciers, which would add to the
become warmer, their volume increases.
The tiny Pacific islands of Tuvalu may already be experiencing the
effects of rising sea levels. Smithsonian magazine notes that data
collected on the atoll of Funafuti shows that the sea level there has
In many parts of the world, population growth means more urban sprawl,
more shantytowns, and more environmental degradation. These developments
may tend to magnify the severity of natural disasters. Consider some
examples.
Haiti is an island nation with a high population and a history of
economic, political, and social problems may be, nothing threatens the
tragically evident in 2004, when torrential rains caused mud slides that
claimed thousands of lives.
plagued South Asia. At the other extreme, deforestation can worsen
drought by causing soil to dry out more quickly. In recent years,
droughts in Indonesia and Brazil have paved the way for record-breaking
fires in forests that are normally too wet to burn. Extreme weather,
however, is by no means the only cause of natural disasters. Many lands
are subject to disasters that are generated deep inside the earth.
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