above sea level. This precarious location makes them quite vulnerable to periodic
typhoons that sweep inland from the Bay of Bengal, resulting in tragic loss of life
from extreme winds and massive flooding. In 1970 the Bhola typhoon killed
approximately half a million people, and destroyed hundreds of villages and towns
in theregion. Only two decades later, in 1991, a similar storm took more than
100,000 lives, again with catastrophic damage. A poor country like Bangladesh
lacks the resources and infrastructure to mount an evacuation of the population
when a typhoon threatens the coastal areas, and moreover, does not have the abil-
ity to respond quickly and adequately to the needs of hundreds of thousands of vic-
tims in the aftermath of such a disaster. Some view the matter of ameliorating the
impact of natural hazards as a component ofsustainable development,by raising
awareness among especially vulnerablepopulations of potential of hazards and
helping to develop the means to reduce their impact.
Natural Resources
Natural resources are those materials that are present in, on, or aboveEarthhave
economic value and are not the product of human endeavor. They constitute the
raw materials that are extracted by activities in the primary sector of the economy
or they may represent substances that are vital to human existence or quality of life,
such as water, forests, or other types of ecosystems. Natural resources may be found
in abundance and in multiplelocations, or they may be quite rare and obtainable in
only a few places. Furthermore, the value and utility of natural resources arise and
change with modifications and advancements in technology. Today, there is no
global demand for whale oil, and in fact it is quite difficult (and often illegal) to
obtain in most parts of the world. But in the early 19th century the oil obtained from
whales was a common fuel source for lamps and also had applications in the
processing of wool. Today this once vital natural resource has been all but com-
pletely replaced by other substances, and for the most part has lost both its value
and utility. On the other hand, before the industrial age, rubber, both natural and
synthesized, had virtually no utility and little value. Since the advent of the automo-
bile the demand for rubber has exponentially increased, making it a valuable natural
resource indeed. More recently, new sources of energy like sunlight and wind would
not have been considered “natural resources” in the traditional sense of the term, but
now may be classified as such since they are now used in the production of energy.
Access to natural resources is vital toeconomic development. In the modern
global economy, the primary sources of energy remain hydrocarbon fuels, pri-
marily petroleum, coal, and natural gas. In 2007 these so-called fossil fuels
Natural Resources 239