The eruption of Hunga Tonga volcano in the Kingdom of Tonga last December, A wake-up call for the devastating consequences these phenomena can have. This explosive event, which occurred in the Pacific Ocean with an unprecedented force that made the explosion noticeable even in Barcelona, caused a tsunami that caused irreparable damage to the coast of the Polynesian country.
But experts warn The risks of events of this magnitude or greater occurring in the coming years are significant. They also stress that the world is “unfortunately poorly prepared” for a major volcanic eruption.
The Hunga-Tonga eruption in January was the largest ever recorded. But experts claim that: the consequences could have been devastating if volcanic activity had been prolonged. “The Tongan boom should be seen as a wake-up call,” explains global risk expert Dr Lara Mani.
He adds to this that the data collected so far suggests. It is estimated that the probability of erupting seven times the size of the Tonga volcano in the next hundred years increases to one-sixth.. “Such massive eruptions caused abrupt climate changes and the collapse of civilizations in the distant past,” warns the researcher.
Lack of “reckless” investment
As Mani points out in a study published in the journal ‘Nature’, lack of government investment in “surveillance and response to potential volcanic disasters”. A member of the Center for Existential Risk Studies at the University of Cambridge argues there is a “common misconception” that big bang risks are low.
“Hundreds of millions of dollars are invested in asteroid threats each year, but there is a serious lack of funding and global coordination for the preparation of volcanoes,” the volcanologist insists. compares the results of a big bang to the impact of a miles-wide asteroid.
Co-author of that study, Dr. Mike Cassidy cites a historical precedent in volcanic activity: “The last magnitude 7 explosion occurred in Indonesia in 1815. It is estimated that 100,000 people died. At the local level and global temperatures dropped by an average degree, leading to major crop famines, causing famines, violent riots and epidemics during what is known as the summerless year,” explains the researcher.
“We now live in a world with more than eight times the population and forty times the level of commerce. Our complex global networks can make us even more vulnerable to the effects of a big bang,” adds Cassidy.
…..
Environment department contact address:crisclimatica@prensaiberica.es
Source: Informacion
