With a seemingly high rise in recent natural disasters, many wonder if the events are linked.
In just six months Christchurch, New Zealand has been hit by 2 earthquakes, Brisbane has been flooded, Japan has been hit by one of the biggest earthquakes in history, and as a result tsunamis could be on their way to various countries.
Reports have shown that the natural disasters are up from 120 in 1980 to more than 400 in 2007. According to the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) there were 385 disasters from 2000 to 2009 alone.CRED Director Debarati Guha-Sapir noted, “The number of events have gone up very, very dramatically.”
Although the increase is apparent, the reason and explanation remains bleak. Some have tried to point the growth to climate changes. "Have climate-related disasters increased? The answer is yes," Sapir said, adding, "But it is not clear that climate change itself is an important factor."
Sapir said that CRED lacked sufficient research to determine the role of global warming in the increase in climate-related natural disasters.Others have even questioned if the amount of natural disasters have increased, or if just the amount of reports has increased.Charles Mandeville, a volcanologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, believes the increase is not a result of the planet. He believes, rather, that the rise is the result of better monitoring and reporting of natural disasters.
Some Christians are linking the escalation of natural catastrophes to the end of times. Matthew 24:7 says, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places.”
The increase of natural disasters is perhaps undeniable, but the cause remains uncertain.
By Ellie Fink
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