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Environmental emergencies are defined as “sudden-onset disasters or accidents resulting from natural, technological or human-induced factors, or a combination of these, that causes or threatens to cause severe environmental damage as well as loss of human lives and property.” (UNEP/GC.22/INF/5, 13 November 2002.) Following a disaster or conflict, an environmental emergency can occur when people’s health and livelihoods are at risk due to the release of hazardous and noxious substances, or because of significant damage to the ecosystem. Examples include fires, oil spills, chemical accidents, toxic-waste dumping and groundwater pollution. The environmental risks can be acute and life-threatening. According to the International Disaster Database ((EM-DAT )), between 2003 and 2013, there were 380 industrial accidents reported, affecting 207 668 people and resulting in over US$22 million in losses. Climate change is having an unprecedented effect on the occurrence of natural disasters and the associated risk of environmental emergencies. With climate change already stretching the disaster relief system, future climate-related emergency events will generate increased and more costly demands for assistance. == Context == All disasters have some environmental impacts. Some of these may be immediate and life-threatening – for example when an earthquake damages an industrial facility, which in turn releases hazardous materials. In such cases these so-called ‘secondary impacts’ may cause as much damage as initial causal factor. For example, Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda that struck the Philippines in November 2013, caused massive destruction and had a huge human toll but also generated a spill of around 800,000 litres of heavy oil, when a power barge ran aground in Estancia, Iloilo province, at the height of the typhoon. Disasters may also have longeOÑKL-term impacts. For example, natural disasters may cause long-term waste management or ecosystem damage. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Environmental emergency」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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