Natural hazards: Geology, engineering, agriculture, and sociopolitical/humanitarian considerations for the twenty-first century

Dangers from natural hazards have been characterized quantitatively by nati onal and international committees of geoscientists based on technical advan ces in geochemistry and geophysics (sensu lato). The current status of know ledge on natural hazards is reviewed with particular emphasis on comet/aste roid impact, earthquakes, and volcanoes. All these hazards are survivable b y the world's population if appropriate measures are taken over the next ce ntury and millennium. Ideas for mitigation include: general use of weathere d volcanic ash and power-station fly ash to make pozzolana cement for stren gthening buildings, and stabilizing weak ground and hillsides prone to slum ping; long-term storage of grains under nitrogen, together with other techn iques for maintaining viability of stored food; drilling of tunnels under m ajor cities to facilitate traffic flow, and for protection against impact o f bolides and bombs; design of sea and lake fronts to guard against tsunami s from earthquakes and asteroid impact. The food-storage proposals could be tailored to help farmers obtain a regular income while producing a higher crop yield than needed for current food supply. The land modification plans would provide technical challenges and new business activities for civil e ngineers, lawyers, real-estate professionals, and city planners. It is trul y tragic that genuine ideas for mitigation of natural hazards are being imp lemented at a snail's pace while funding for weapons nourishes around much of the world. The early development of my thinking on hazards is an example of the typical disconnection between "scientific expertise" and actual day -to-day planning decisions. As a farmer's boy interested in civil engineeri ng and land planning in an ecological context, I summarize old and new idea s in an effort to bridge this disconnection, and facilitate the planned tra nsfer of funding from weapons to actions that enhance human well being. Bec ause the actions are international in their basic nature and ecological in character, I hope that they will help to generate a feeling of "One world t hat must be loved, not abused." We belong to one biological species, Homo s upposedly sapiens sapiens. We must progress beyond tribal, ethnic, and othe r divisive matters associated with wars and civilian conflicts. The rich mu st help the poor. Geology and civil engineering can provide important world wide cooperative connections.