The perception of power is changing in the twenty-first century. It shifts from the country’s military potential to its ability to react to crises in a prompt manner. It is essential to note that the concept of crisis should not be viewed from the perspective of political or economic developments only. Instead, it has become broader due to significant issues related to climate change. In this case, the main challenge is the simultaneous emergence of crises around the globe. Therefore, accompanied by domestic climate-related issues, prompt reaction to both national and international crises may become the new determinant of power in the global community.
In order to prove the abovementioned statement, it is essential to focus on several recent natural disasters caused by climate change – simultaneous fires in Russia and floods in Pakistan (Public Broadcasting Service, 2014). Both of the disasters dated back to 2010 and had a significant impact on reviewing not only the concept of power but also the main priorities of civilization development – regulation of natural hazards and preservation of human health. The Pakistan disaster revealed not only the main health-related risks, such as the lack of clean water, adequate dieting, and sanitation but also imperfections of the national and international systems because people in need are not supported. It can be proved by the very fact that millions of people were forced to leave their homes in search of protection and better living conditions (Public Broadcasting Service, 2014). As for Russia, its experience highlighted the significance of the problem of hazardous wastes in the air, as the fires and smog, extreme heat, and charcoal in the air claimed the lives of more than 50,000 people (Public Broadcasting Service, 2014). However, unfortunately, it is impossible to provide adequate humanitarian aid to people in need in case of failing to develop universal frameworks for international cooperation aimed at decreasing the criticality of climate change and its influence on natural disasters.
That being said, in most cases, it is impossible to avoid fires and floods. However, there are some risk factors, pointing to hazards that can be regulated to minimize them. For instance, being prepared for disasters is beneficial for prompt reaction to them. However, the main issue is the need for remembering that most natural disasters, including floods and fires, are human-caused. In this way, these are people that jeopardize their welfare (Bravo de Guenni et al., 2005). For example, recall extremely fast urbanizations rates among both developing and developed states. It leads to the growth of industries that, as a result, entails the increase of hazardous wastes in the air as well carcinogens in the human body. The same is true for the constant decrease in the reserves of clean water connected both to higher industry needs and lower quality of drinking water. At the same time, rapid urbanization is associated with elevated household needs that as well entail higher levels of hazardous wastes in both water and air (Bravo de Guenni et al., 2005).
To sum up, nowadays, the interconnection between a human and climate change is extremely strong. It is associated with the increased instances of floods and fires as well as their magnitudes and impact on human health. More than that, they lead to negative changes in ecosystems that, again, entail the drops in crops, reserves of clean water, and subsequent climate change (Bravo de Guenni et al., 2005). It means that there is a vicious cycle that predetermines the future development of the planet, and failing to break out of it is a troubling sign.
References
Bravo de Guenni, L., Cardoso, M., Goldammer, J., Hurtt, G., Mata, L. J., Ebi, K.,… Valdes, J. (2005). Regulation of natural hazards: Floods and fires. Web.
Public Broadcasting Service. (2014). Journey to Planet Earth: Extreme realities. Web.