Natural hazards pose major risks to people and property:

• Definition of a natural hazard.
• Types of natural hazard.
• Factors affecting hazard risk.

Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are the result of physical processes:

• Plate tectonics theory: The structure of the Earth | The theory of plate tectonics | Why do plates move?
• Global distribution of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and their relationship to plate margins.
• Physical processes taking place at different types of plate margin (constructive, destructive and conservative) that lead to earthquakes and volcanic activity.

The effects of, and responses to, a tectonic hazard vary between areas of contrasting levels of wealth:

• Primary and secondary effects of a tectonic hazard.
• Immediate and long-term responses to a tectonic hazard.
• Use named examples to show how the effects and responses to a tectonic hazard vary between two areas of contrasting levels of wealth. Nepal and L’Aquila compared.

Management can reduce the effects of a tectonic hazard:

• Reasons why people continue to live in areas at risk from a tectonic hazard.
• How monitoring, prediction, protection and planning can reduce the risks from a tectonic hazard – volcanoes
• How monitoring, prediction, protection and planning can reduce the risks from a tectonic hazard –earthquakes

Weather Hazards

Global atmospheric circulation helps to determine patterns of weather and climate:

• General atmospheric circulation model: pressure belts and surface winds.

Tropical storms (hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons) develop as a result of particular physical conditions:

• Global distribution of tropical storms (hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons)
• Causes of tropical storms and the sequence of their formation and development.
• The structure and features of a tropical storm
• How climate change might affect the distribution, frequency and intensity of tropical storms.

Tropical storms have significant effects on people and the environment:

• Primary and secondary effects of tropical storms. Immediate and long-term responses to tropical storms.
• Use a named example of a tropical storm to show its effects and responses – Typhoon Haiyan Hurricane Irma
• How monitoring, prediction, protection and planning can reduce the effects of tropical storms.

The UK is affected by a number of weather hazards:

• An overview of types of weather hazard experienced in the UK

Extreme weather events in the UK have impacts on human activity:

An example of a recent extreme weather event in the UK to illustrate:

• causes

• social, economic and environmental impacts

• how management strategies can reduce risk.

Evidence that weather is becoming more extreme in the UK.

Climate change is the result of natural and human factors, and has a range of effects:

Evidence for climate change from the beginning of the Quaternary period to the present day.

Possible causes of climate change:

• natural factors – orbital changes, volcanic activity and solar output

• human factors – use of fossil fuels, agriculture and deforestation.

Overview of the effects of climate change on people and the environment.

Managing climate change involves both mitigation (reducing causes) and adaptation (responding to change):

Managing climate change:

• mitigation – alternative energy production, carbon capture, planting trees, international agreements

• adaptation – change in agricultural systems, managing water supply, reducing risk from rising sea levels.