Slow Onset and Rapid Onset Disasters

Slow Onset and Rapid Onset Disasters

Disasters can be categorized into slow onset disasters and rapid onset disasters.

• Slow onset disasters, also referred to as creeping emergencies, develop gradually over time. Since prevention plays a crucial role in the disaster management cycle, slow onset disasters such as global warming and desertification must be adequately addressed in disaster preparedness. These events progressively weaken ecosystems and increase society’s vulnerability to natural hazards.

• Examples of slow onset disasters include climate change (global warming), desertification, soil degradation, and droughts.

• Climate change is described as a statistically significant shift in the average state of the climate or its variability, persisting for decades or longer. This change can result from natural processes, external influences, or human activities that alter atmospheric composition or land use.

• Global warming, primarily driven by the greenhouse effect, is a major contributor to climate change. It causes glacier melting, rising sea levels and threatens low-lying coastal areas such as the Sundarbans, Bangladesh, and the Maldives.

• Over the past century, global temperatures have increased by approximately 0.6 degrees Celsius.

• Historically, climate changes were triggered by variations in Earth’s rotational angle and distance from the Sun. However, the current trend is significantly influenced by human-generated greenhouse gases.

• Recent instances of unexpected and unseasonal rainfall and droughts have been linked to global warming. Addressing this issue requires urgent and coordinated international action.

• Unlike rapid onset disasters, the effects of slow onset disasters are not immediately visible. However, over time, they erode societies’ ability to sustain themselves. Development policies and their implementation significantly influence the occurrence of slow onset disasters. Rapid onset disasters, on the other hand, occur suddenly and have immediate impacts. Examples include earthquakes, cyclones, floods, and tsunamis.