LAND USE CHANGE AND DISASTER RISK ON INDUSTRIAL OPERATIONS

LAND USE CHANGE AND DISASTER RISK ON INDUSTRIAL OPERATIONS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background of study

In order to meet the growing demands of mankind, land use conversion has become one of the most critical and direct ways for mankind to change the environment and has produced a profound impact on the natural environment. Land use change has changed the physical parameters of the earth’s surface. A large amount of natural land (such as forests, grasslands and wetlands) has been converted into developed land (such as cities and farmland), which has led to a dramatic reduction in grasslands, woodlands, arable land, sea areas, tidal zones and unused land and a continuous increase in the construction land and industrial land. It is known that the natural ecological environment not only provides material resources for the production and life of human society but also plays an infinite role in regulating climate, water resources and reducing natural disasters. However, a lot of changes in land types make ecologically fragile areas exposed to direct or indirect threats and have brought increasing pressure on the environment and ecosystem. Land use change not only affects the soil environment, atmospheric environment and water environment but also has an impact on the balance of various systems on the earth’s surface. These changes not only have increased the frequency and intensity of natural disasters (such as floods) but also have improved soil salinity and land erosion. Although land development has become inevitable, it requires more resilient measures to avoid the increase in disasters. In the context of rapid urbanization, people are increasingly aware of the interaction between land use changes and disaster risk. Human activities (deforestation, wetland reclamation, urban expansion, etc.) have changed the pattern of ecological risks. In this case, it is of realistic necessity to study the impact of land use changes on disaster risk. The information obtained from land use changes can help policy makers and managers better understand the potential relationship between human factors and the environment and to effectively assess the risk of natural disasters, which will help to realize sustainability and enhance resilience.

Land use reflects the interference of human activities in the regional environment. The rapid increase in urban built-up areas puts pressure on the scarce land and water resources in the peri-urban fringes, thereby potentially leading to environmental pressure, which increases the production of disaster contributions. With the development and expansion of cities in hazardous areas, the lack of risk-oriented land use changes may increase the disaster risk of the area. Therefore, land use planners and policy makers must establish a key connection between disaster risk reduction and land use changes. Land use changes have obvious regional and cumulative characteristics. Land development will show different resilience, among other variances, depending on the conditions in the region. Risk is a key aspect in the development process. In the development of cities, attention should be paid not only to profits but also to risk assessment and management. Therefore, various risks related to development need to be handled in planning, including natural disaster risk and flood risk in land allocation. In this process, risk assessment is a key step in intervention planning. By examining the land use changes, analyzing the source of risk and the negative impact of natural disasters and establishing a relationship between land use change and disaster risk, the areas that require policy intervention in land use can be finally determined.