Landslides and Sinkholes Everywhere... The Earth's Angry Retaliation [Reading Science]

International Journal: "Number of Damage Cases Increased Tenfold in 50 Years"
Especially Record-breaking Landslide Damage Occurred in the First Half of This Year

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] It has been revealed that landslides are rapidly increasing worldwide due to frequent heavy rains and floods caused by climate change, indiscriminate deforestation, and urbanization. Recently, a massive sinkhole caused by reckless mineral extraction in Chile has instilled fear, signaling an intensifying 'counterattack' from the Earth against humanity.

According to the international academic journal Nature on the 9th (local time), record-breaking landslides occurred worldwide during the first half of this year. In January and February, the situation was particularly severe in South America. In Dosquebradas, Colombia, 14 people were buried and killed by a landslide at their homes, and landslides in Quito, Ecuador, and Petr?polis, Brazil, resulted in 24 and 220 deaths respectively. From April to June, hundreds of people died in similar incidents in the Pilar region of the Philippines, Durban in South Africa, Recife in Brazil, and Bangladesh.

Every year, the number of people dying from landslides worldwide is rapidly increasing, averaging around 4,500. The annual economic damage totals approximately 20 billion dollars, which is about one-quarter of the damage caused by floods. Especially over the past 50 years, the number of incidents causing human and property damage due to landslides has increased more than tenfold.

Experts attribute this rapid increase in landslides to climate change and indiscriminate urbanization. For example, more than 89% of major landslides occur in tropical regions, usually accompanied by heavy rains when cyclones or monsoons pass through. The problem is that by the end of this century, the intensity of such tropical storms is expected to more than double on average. It goes without saying that damage from landslides and similar disasters will also increase significantly.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Rapid and unplanned urbanization in low-income tropical countries is also a problem. According to Nature, the population of Freetown, a city in Sierra Leone, Africa, has more than doubled since 2000, reaching over 1.2 million. Most of the people who migrated to the city live in makeshift unauthorized housing in risky areas such as hillsides and floodplains on the outskirts. In particular, unregulated deforestation, slope cutting, and inadequate management of household drainage are causing landslides.

This reality causes disproportionate damage due to wealth disparities. For example, in the South American and Caribbean coastal regions, since 2004, 81% of those who died from landslides lived in slums or unauthorized housing, even though landslides in those areas accounted for only 41% of the total.