[Graeme]

Nature's squeeze - man's response

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')lthough it would appear that the unfathomable damage wrought by hurricane Katrina is due to an extraordinary act of nature, this limited perspective misses important lessons we had better learn this time: Distinguishing a natural disaster from a human-induced one is getting more difficult. And we need to enlist nature's help, not assign it blame.
By necessity or choice, more people are living along coastlines, in floodplains, and on fragile hillsides - zones that place them in harm's way. At the same time, the clearing of trees, filling of wetlands, engineering of rivers, and destruction of coral reefs and mangroves has frayed the natural safety nets that healthy ecosystems provide. Consequently, when a natural disaster strikes, the risks of catastrophic losses are higher.

Data collected by Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, show the loss of life and property due to natural disasters has been climbing for two decades. Worldwide economic losses from natural catastrophes during the past 10 years have totaled $566.8 billion, exceeding the combined losses from 1950 through 1989. More than four times as many "great" natural catastrophes occurred during the 1990s as during the 1950s.