An environmental disaster or ecological disaster
is a catastrophic event regarding the environment
due to human activity.
This distinguishes it from the concept of
a natural disaster.
It is also distinct from intentional acts
of war such as nuclear bombings.
In this case, the impact of humans' alteration
of the ecosystem has led to widespread and/or
long-lasting consequences.
It can include the deaths of animals (including
humans) and plants, or severe disruption of
human life, possibly requiring migration.
== Environmental disasters ==
Environmental disasters can have an effect
on agriculture, biodiversity, the economy
and human health.
The causes include pollution, depletion of
natural resources, custom industrial activity
or agriculture.
Seveso disaster, 1976 – Release of dioxin.
Amoco Cadiz oil spill, 1978 – the vessel
broke in two, releasing its entire cargo of
1.6 million barrels (250,000 m3) of oil.
Ok Tedi environmental disaster, 1984.
As of 2006, mine operators have discharged
about two billion tons of tailings, overburden
and mine-induced erosion into the Ok Tedi
river system.
About 1,588 square kilometres (613 sq mi)
of forest has died or is under stress.
Bhopal disaster, 1984 – Release of methyl
isocyanate gas and other chemicals Some estimate
8,000 people died within two weeks.
A government affidavit in 2006 stated the
leak caused 558,125 injuries including 38,478
temporary partial and approximately 3,900
severely and permanently disabling injuries.
Chernobyl disaster, 1986 – The official
Soviet count of 31 deaths has been disputed.
An UNSCEAR report places the total confirmed
deaths from radiation at 64 as of 2008.
The eventual death toll could reach 4,000.
Some 50 emergency workers died of acute radiation
syndrome, nine children died of thyroid cancer
and an estimated total of 3940 died from radiation-induced
cancer and leukemia.
Hanford Nuclear, 1986 – The U.S. government
declassifies 19,000 pages of documents indicating
that between 1946 and 1986, the Hanford Site
near Richland, Washington, released thousands
of US gallons of radioactive liquids.
Radioactive waste was both released into the
air and flowed into the Columbia River (which
flows to the ocean).
Exxon Valdez oil spill, 1989 – spilled 260–750
thousand barrels (41,000–119,000 m3) of
crude oil.
Prestige oil spill, 2002 – spilled over
20 million US gallons (76,000 m3) of two different
grades of heavy fuel oil.
Prudhoe Bay oil spill, 2006 – spilled up
to 267,000 US gallons (1,010 m3; 6,400 bbl).
Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry
spill, 2008 – spilled 1.1 billion US gallons
(4,200,000 m3) of slurry from a coal plant,
covering 300 acres, flowing down several rivers,
destroying homes and contaminating water.
Volume spilled was over 7 times as much as
the volume of oil spilled in the Deepwater
Horizon disaster.
Deepwater Horizon oil spill, 2010 – An explosion
killed 11 men working on the platform and
injured 34 others.
The gushing wellhead was capped, after it
had released about 4.9 million barrels (780,000
m3) of crude oil.
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, 2011 – was
an energy accident, initiated primarily by
the tsunami following the Tōhoku earthquake
on 11 March 2011.
Immediately after the earthquake, the active
reactors automatically shut down their sustained
fission reactions.
The insufficient cooling led to three nuclear
meltdowns, hydrogen-air explosions, and the
release of radioactive material.
Level 7 event classification of the International
Nuclear Event Scale.
=== Climate change and disaster risks ===
A 2013 report examined the relationship between
disasters and poverty.
It concludes that, without concerted action,
there could be up to 325 million extremely
poor people living in the 49 countries most
exposed to the full range of natural hazards
and climate extremes in 2040.
== See also ==
Anthropogenic hazard
List of environmental issues
Environmental hazard
Emergency management
Environmental emergency
Ecocide
Malthusian catastrophe
