Emergencies
Since
mankind started to build ships for the purpose of trade and armed conflicts,
coastal areas have become even more attractive places to establish settlements
and cities. As a result of development, there is increased demand
for space stimulating growth of cities and transportation routes.
Thus, the impacts of man’s activities, both beneficial and detrimental,
on the coastal and marine environments have grown over the centuries.
The coastal and marine areas are prone to natural and man-made phenomena and conditions that are potentially hazardous to coastal settlements and maritime activities. Hazardous natural phenomena include earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones, volcanic eruptions, the El Niño Southern Oscillation and even the occurrence of red tides. On the other hand, man’s activities have also created hazardous conditions such as oil and chemical spills, groundings and collisions including sea level rise that could potentially result in environmental disasters and loss of life and properties.
According to Wijkman and Timberkaje (1984)1, vulnerability to natural hazards decreases with increasing mitigation even if the level of development increases. However, this situation places more resources at risk as illustrated by the figure below.
| Economic development and vulnerability to disasters | |
| A | very low level of resources and therefore slightly reduced vulnerability. |
| B | state of maximum vulnerability (low level of development). |
| C | state of minimum vulnerability. |
| D | increasing in technology creates new sources of vulnerability. |
| E | potential for vulnerability reduction with existing technology. |
| F | development gap in mitigation. |
There are many strategies and measures in place to reduce the level of vulnerability and minimize the losses. For example, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution in 1989 that designated the last decade of the 20th century as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. This was later formalized into the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) with the objective to enable all societies to become resilient to the effects of natural hazards and related technological and environmental disasters, in order to reduce human, economic and social losses. Such strategies and measures include regulatory instruments (e.g., international conventions, agreements, protocols such as SOLAS, SAR Convention, MARPOL 73/78, Montreal Protocol, Basel Convention, etc.), infrastructures and processes as well as the mobilization of resources and the implementation of appropriate programmes/ activities. Some of these strategies and measures are aimed at prevention, enhancing awareness and preparedness as well as emergency response. Hazardous incidents and disasters like oil spills, fire, collision and groundings cannot be fully prevented but through monitoring and the setting up of early warning systems, such incidents can be minimized. The establishment of emergency response programmes will enable timely intervention in order to minimize the impacts and losses.
Early
warning systems and forecast, for example, are in place to monitor certain
natural hazards like cyclones and tsunamis (e.g., Pacific Tsunami Warning
Center in Hawaii). Navigation aides and systems have been established
along precautionary areas or hazardous routes (e.g., straits and congested
sea lanes) to reduce collision and groundings of ships as well as the installation
of a world wide network of automated emergency communications for ships
at sea such as the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) that
includes search and rescue operations. Other systems like the Global
Ocean Observing System (GOOS) or programmes such as World Meteorological
Organization’s emergency response activities, UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring
Centre (WCMC) Emergency Response Service and UNEP-Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) monitor, detect and/or forecast various
phenomena, provide information services and co-ordinate international and
regional emergency efforts.