The Impact of Natural Disasters on US Home Ownership

This systematic review of reviews was conducted to examine housing precarity and homelessness in relation to climate change and weather extremes internationally. In a thematic analysis of 15 reviews (5 systematic and 10 non-systematic), the following themes emerged: risk factors for homelessness/housing precarity, temperature extremes, health concerns, structural factors, natural disasters, and housing. First, an increased risk of homelessness has been found for people who are vulnerably housed and populations in lower socio-economic positions due to energy insecurity and climate change-induced natural hazards. Second, homeless/vulnerably-housed populations are disproportionately exposed to climatic events (temperature extremes and natural disasters). Third, the physical and mental health of homeless/vulnerably-housed populations is projected to be impacted by weather extremes and climate change. Fourth, while green infrastructure may have positive effects for homeless/vulnerably-housed populations, housing remains a major concern in urban environments. Finally, structural changes must be implemented. Recommendations for addressing the impact of climate change on homelessness and housing precarity were generated, including interventions focusing on homelessness/housing precarity and reducing the effects of weather extremes, improved housing and urban planning, and further research on homelessness/housing precarity and climate change. To further enhance the impact of these initiatives, we suggest employing the Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA).

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Do Long-Term Natural Disasters Influence Social Trust? Empirical Evidence from China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18147280 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (14) ◽

pp. 7280

Author(s):

Yao Li ◽

Haoyang Li ◽

Jianqing Ruan

Keyword(s):

Natural Disasters ◽

Natural Disaster ◽

Social Trust ◽

Geographical Location ◽

Household Survey ◽

Flood Frequency ◽

Psychological Characteristics ◽

The North ◽

The Impact

The natural environment is one of the most critical factors that profoundly influences human races. Natural disasters may have enormous effects on individual psychological characteristics. Using China’s long-term historical natural disaster dataset from 1470 to 2000 and data from a household survey in 2012, we explore whether long-term natural disasters affect social trust. We find that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between long-term natural disaster frequency and social trust. We further examine the impact of long-term natural disaster frequency on social trust in specific groups of people. Social trust in neighbors and doctors is stronger where long-term natural disasters are more frequent. Our results are robust after we considering the geographical difference. The effect of long-term natural disasters remains positively significant after we divide the samples based on geographical location. Interestingly, the impact of long-term flood frequency is only significant in the South and the impact of long-term drought frequency is only significant in the North.

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Understanding Affordability

10.1332/policypress/9781529211863.001.0001 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Geoffrey Meen ◽

Christine Whitehead

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Home Ownership ◽

House Prices ◽

Household Formation ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Political Forces ◽

The Uk ◽

Developed World ◽

The Impact

Affordability is, perhaps, the greatest housing problem facing households today, both in the UK and internationally. Even though most households are now well housed, hardship is disproportionately concentrated among low-income and younger households. Our failure to deal with their problems is what makes housing so frustrating. But, to improve outcomes, we have to understand the complex economic and political forces which underlie their continued prevalence. There are no costless solutions, but there are new policy directions that can be explored in addition to those that have dominated in recent years. The first, analytic, part of the book considers the factors that determine house prices and rents, household formation and tenure, housing construction and the roles played by housing finance and taxation. The second part turns to examine the impact of past policy and the possibilities for improvement - discussing supply and the impact of planning regulation, supply subsidies, subsidies to low-income tenants and attempts to increase home ownership. Rather than advocating a particular set of policies, the aim is to consider the balance of policies; the constraints under which housing policy operates; what can realistically be achieved; the structural changes that would need to occur; and the significant sacrifices that would have to be made by some groups if there are to be improvements for others. Our emphasis is on the UK but throughout the book we also draw on international experience and our conclusions have relevance to analysts and policy makers across the developed world.

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Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on community lifelines

Continuity & Resilience Review ◽

10.1108/crr-05-2021-0022 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Naeem Abas ◽

Esmat Kalair ◽

Saad Dilshad ◽

Nasrullah Khan

Keyword(s):

Natural Disasters ◽

Health Sector ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Developed Countries ◽

World Population ◽

Water Safety ◽

Content Type ◽

Essential Services ◽

The World ◽

The Impact

PurposeThe authors present the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on community lifelines. The state machinery has several departments to secure essential lifelines during disasters and epidemics. Many countries have formed national disaster management authorities to deal with manmade and natural disasters. Typical lifelines include food, water, safety and security, continuity of services, medicines and healthcare equipment, gas, oil and electricity supplies, telecommunication services, transportation means and education system. Supply chain systems are often affected by disasters, which should have alternative sources and routes. Doctors, nurses and medics are front-line soldiers against diseases during pandemics.Design/methodology/approachThe COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how much we all are connected yet unprepared for natural disasters. Political leaders prioritize infrastructures, education but overlook the health sector. During the recent pandemic, developed countries faced more mortalities, fatalities and casualties than developing countries. This work surveys the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health, energy, environment, industry, education and food supply lines.FindingsThe COVID-19 pandemic caused 7% reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during global lockdowns. In addition, COVID-19 has affected social fabric, behaviors, cultures and official routines. Around 2.84 bn doses have been administrated, with approximately 806 m people (10.3% of the world population) are fully vaccinated around the world to date. Most developed vaccines are being evaluated for new variants like alpha, beta, gamma, epsilons and delta first detected in the UK, South Africa, Brazil, USA and India. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all sectors in society, yet this paper critically reviews the impact of COVID-19 on health and energy lifelines.Practical implicationsThis paper critically reviews the health and energy lifelines during pandemic COVID-19 and explains how these essential services were interrupted.Originality/valueThis paper critically reviews the health and energy lifelines during pandemic COVID-19 and explains how these essential services were interrupted.

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International Cooperation and Natural Disasters: Evidence from Trade Agreements

International Studies Quarterly ◽

10.1093/isq/sqab065 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Aleksandra Conevska

Keyword(s):

Natural Disasters ◽

Global Economy ◽

Market Integration ◽

Trade Agreements ◽

Economic Consequences ◽

Exogenous Shocks ◽

Trading Partners ◽

Environmental Shocks ◽

The Impact ◽

Domestic Economies

Abstract Environmental shocks in the form of natural disasters are well known for their impact on domestic economies. Less known, however, is their impact on the global economy. The scant existing literature suggests that macro-economic impacts manifest in observed empirical decreases in international trade. The literature, however, does not examine whether the impact of natural disasters on trade varies for trading partners with differing levels of market integration. This paper examines if preferential liberalization serves to protect or buffer against the negative economic consequences of natural disasters. I show that deep preferential liberalization can not only protect countries against the negative macro-economic impact of natural disasters but can actually allow countries to increase exports during natural disaster events that otherwise induce trade decline. These findings suggest that by allowing countries to expand the quantity and the range of exports, preferential trade agreements lead to enhanced resilience against exogenous shocks.

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ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF NATURAL DISASTERS AND CLIMATE CHANGE DAMAGE

Economic and social problems of Russia The digital economy Current state and prospects ◽

10.31249/espr/2021.01.07 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 125-144

Author(s):

Boris Ivanovskiy ◽

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Natural Disasters ◽

Economic Assessment ◽

Financial Sector ◽

Methodological Issues ◽

Impact Of Climate Change ◽

The Impact

The types and scales of the most significant natural disasters are determined. The problems of forming a statistical database on natural disasters are considered, as well as methodological issues of economic measurement of the consequences of natural disasters. Particular attention is paid to the study of the impact of climate change on the financial sector of the economy of the affected regions.

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Demographic and Psychological Factors and Preparation for Earthquakes

10.26686/wgtn.16945375 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Matthew John Spittal

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Locus Of Control ◽

Natural Disasters ◽

Home Ownership ◽

Unrealistic Optimism ◽

Psychological Variables ◽

Major Earthquake ◽

Earthquake Preparation ◽

Emergency Managers ◽

Control Risk

<p>New Zealand, like many countries, is at risk from a number of natural disasters including flooding, volcanoes, and earthquakes. The risk of exposure to such disasters over the course of a lifetime is substantial (Norris, 1992). Despite this, many New Zealanders are unprepared for the consequences of a natural disaster; nearly a quarter of New Zealand homes have flaws which could see them seriously damaged or detached from their foundations in a major earthquake (Ansell & Taber, 1996). Recent research suggests that psychological variables contribute to people's lack of preparation for natural disasters. A limitation, however, of much of this research has been the lack of attention paid to the psychometric quality of the instruments used to measure key constructs. The present investigation aimed to examine the relationships between different dimensions of personality and earthquake preparation in a large sample of Wellington residents using psychometrically sound measures. Measures of locus of control, risk, and earthquake preparation were first evaluated in a series of studies using both university students and Wellington residents. These questionnaires were then administered, along with items pertaining to the construct of unrealistic optimism, to a total of 358 Wellington residents. The results showed that locus of control, risk precaution, home ownership, and length of residence were significant predictors of earthquake preparation. Moreover, people exhibited evidence of unrealistic optimism, as demonstrated by both a belief that they were better prepared for a major earthquake than an acquaintance, or other Wellingtonians, and by a belief that they were personally less likely than others to suffer injury in a major earthquake. The implications of these results for emergency managers are discussed and several recommendations are made.</p>

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