Page 6 - 2023年12月號

Unnatural
disasters

In December, I will attend the United
Nations COP28 climate change
summit in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates. There, I will speak about
the convergence of two global crises:
climate and mental health. As the
World Health Organization has noted,
climate change worsens risk factors
— such as disruptions to homes
and livelihoods — for mental health
problems. The emotional distress of
a disaster also makes it difficult for
people to recover and rebuild.
Rotary partner ShelterBox is an
international disaster relief charity
that has helped more than 2.5 million
displaced people in approximately
100 countries with emergency
shelter, essential household items,
and technical support. I wish to share
this month’s column with their CEO,
Sanj Srikanthan, who explains that
the words we choose to describe
disasters matter.
— gordon mcinally

T he term “natural” disaster has long been mines our ability to recover. The people worst affected
used to describe tropical storms, floods,
are those living in poverty, with the least means to
earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions,
protect themselves and few resources to withstand
but there needs to be an urgent shift
in the language we use. While the term the next event.
By framing these events as natural, we undermine
may seem harmless, and we’ve not always gotten it the need for proactive measures to protect vulnerable
right, we’ve learned through our work with disaster- communities, masking the underlying social, economic,
affected communities how it perpetuates a dangerous and political instability that makes marginalized
myth that nothing could have been done to prevent and disadvantaged communities disproportionately
people being so badly affected. This misleading and affected. Our teams see firsthand how issues like
harmful narrative can lead to a lack of action to help inequality, poverty, urbanization, deforestation, and the
people who need it. climate crisis can make communities more vulnerable.
The language we use matters. When we frame di- At ShelterBox, we simply say “disaster” or are
sasters as natural, we fail to acknowledge the complex more specific, describing the extreme weather, earth-
interplay between nature and the role of human actions quake, tsunami, or volcanic eruption. I urge everyone
and how they impact communities around the world. to help us in breaking this cycle by committing to
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF SHELTERBOX of natural processes on Earth. But it is how these underlying causes of vulnerability and work toward a
Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and
language that accurately reflects why people are af-
extreme storms, drought, and flooding occur because
fected so badly.
Only then does it pave the way to address the
events affect people or the environment that has
more just and equitable future for all, with the neces-
the potential to make them a disaster — outcomes
sary investment, resources, and proactive measures to
influenced by human factors like where people live,
help protect affected communities.
what types of homes they have, political instability,
and the lack of proactive measures to protect vulner-
Disasters are not natural. Let’s stop saying they are.
able communities. A disaster is the result of systemic
SANJ SRIKANTHAN
we live and how much money we have often deter-
4 inequalities in access to resources and power. Where CEO, ShelterBox
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