Why did natural disaster-related deaths and missing increase over the past 17 years in the Philippines?
About this project
WHY DID NATURAL DISASTER-RELATED DEATHS AND MISSING INCREASE OVER THE PAST 17 YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES?
These are the Sustainable Development Goals that my topic covered:
No Poverty
Climate Change
Life on Land
There is a significant increase in deaths and missing persons due to natural disasters and analyzed why it happened.
According to Hannah Ritchie and Pablo Rosado from Our World in Data:
“Natural disasters – from earthquakes and floods to storms and droughts – affect millions of people every year. However, we are not defenseless against them, and the global death toll, especially from droughts and floods, has been reduced.”**
But why has our country, the Philippines, increased the number of deaths and missing persons related to natural disasters?
First, I gathered data regarding how the government implements national strategies for managing disaster risks.
They were followed by the implementation of the local government. The percentage of adoption and implementation has an average of 79.99% average. Hence, one of the reasons why there are more deaths and missing persons is due to the communication between the national and local governments. The local government agencies should increase their actions when disaster strikes.
Second, according to Hannah Ritchie and Pablo Rosado from Our World in Data:
“While natural disasters account for a small fraction of all deaths globally, they can have a large impact, especially on vulnerable populations in low-to-middle-income countries with insufficient infrastructure to protect and respond effectively.”
The Philippines is a third-world country with an average of 28.80% share of the population living below the national poverty line. That’s still more than a quarter of the population.
If a family is poor, they can’t build sufficient infrastructure to protect and shelter when disaster hits. Hence, poverty is one of the reasons why there are more deaths and missing people in natural-related disasters.
The Human Development Index (HDI)
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) publishes the Human Development Index. It is the most well-known index of human development. It is based on the idea that human development means that people have long and healthy lives, are knowledgeable, and have a decent standard of living.
Lastly, we are rapidly losing land covered by forest which is the natural defense as an absorbent of too much water during floods.
As our trees are decreasing, the total greenhouse gas emissions are increasing.
These are the reasons I discovered based on data provided by UNSDG on why the number of deaths and missing persons related to natural disasters is increasing.
As Quavo stated: “History repeats itself. So you might want to pay attention.”
Natural disasters will come and go as it is part of the nature. But it is human’s responsibility to be ready when it happens. We learn from our missteps from the past to prevent the increase of deaths and missing persons in our country.
To summarize:
We need the local government to be more prepared.
Help the Filipinos living on the poverty line to improve their lives and build fortitude houses to withstand when disaster strikes.
Take care of our nature to receive its natural protection.
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