The key difference between natural disaster and man made disaster is that natural disasters result from natural processes, whereas man-made disasters are caused by human actions or negligence.
The history of mankind is replete with both natural disasters as well as man made disasters. However, it’s important to observe that while ancient times predominantly saw havoc caused by natural disasters, today, man-made disasters are equally, if not more responsible for the destruction of life and property in various parts of the world. The sad and tragic part of this debate between natural and man made disasters is that as mankind has developed and become technologically advanced, the frequency and magnitude of man made disasters have increased in the same proportion. This has led many to believe that man made disasters that are avoidable are more tragic in the sense that innocent lives lost in these disasters could have been saved. Let us take a closer look at these two categories of disasters: natural disasters and man made disasters.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Natural Disasters
3. What are Man Made Disasters
4. Natural Disaster vs. Man Made Disaster in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Natural Disaster vs. Man Made Disaster
What are Natural Disasters?
Earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, landslides, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornados, and other such hazards are natural disasters that have led to colossal loss of property and lives since ancient times. These disasters create more havoc when they occur near human colonies resulting in huge financial and property losses apart from claiming priceless and innocent lives. A natural hazard is not termed a disaster if it takes place in a remote area that is not inhabited by human beings.
Figure 01: Earthquake
There have been umpteen incidents of floods, droughts, Tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions in the past 100 years that have resulted in millions of people losing their lives with incalculable loss of property in places where they occurred. Health hazards are also included in the list of natural disasters, as medicines and drugs were not available at the time epidemics struck, claiming millions of lives. The worst in the last 100 years was the spread of the Spanish Flu in 1918, which claimed 50 million lives worldwide.
What are Man Made Disasters?
Man made disasters are those disasters that may be smaller in magnitude but have increased in frequency with all the development and advancement. These are hazards that are a result of human intent or negligence or result from human designs that cannot withstand natural forces.
There have always been crimes in human societies, but it has rarely caused as much havoc as terrorism, which is a special type of crime against humanity. Terrorism has become an international phenomenon, and the world saw its horrible consequences with the infamous 9/11 incident in the US in which there was colossal loss of property and nearly 3000 human lives.
Civil wars raging inside many nations of the world are another example of man made disasters that result in the loss of property and lives. Wars between nations are ongoing phenomena that cause innumerable deaths and loss of property. However, no war can match the intensity and loss that resulted from the two World Wars.
Figure 02: Mining Accident
Accidents are another man made disaster that causes loss of lives and property. All over the world, mining accidents have taken place, which also has an environmental impact. The Bhopal Gas tragedy in India and the Chornobyl nuclear disaster in the erstwhile Soviet Union are some of the worst man made disasters. The recent Tsunami that struck Japan was a natural disaster, but the way it affected the nuclear reactors there transformed itself into a man made disaster of a huge magnitude.
What is the Difference Between Natural Disaster and Man Made Disaster?
The key difference between natural disaster and man made disaster is that natural disasters result from natural processes, whereas man-made disasters are caused by human actions or negligence. Examples of natural disasters include earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and volcanic eruptions, while examples of man made disasters include industrial accidents, terrorist attacks, nuclear incidents, and environmental pollution.
The following table summarizes the difference between natural disaster and man made disaster.
Summary – Natural Disaster vs Man Made Disaster
As their names indicate, natural disasters are natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, epidemics, wildfires, etc., which result in loss of lives and property. On the other hand, disasters that strike mankind due to either intent or negligence of humans are man made disasters. Some examples are wars, civil wars, terrorism, errors in design, nuclear disasters, industrial disasters, etc. This is the summary of the difference between natural disaster and man made disaster.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Sanfranciscoearthquake1906” By Still Picture Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), National Archives at College Park. (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Accident on T.M.L. Railway at Coal Mine Bend between Colebrook and Rhyndaston on 24 April 1877” (CC0) via Picryl