There's no such thing as a 'natural' disaster...


The term ‘natural disaster’ is incorrect and misleading.The #NoNaturalDisasters campaign builds on the decades of work and research carried out by DRR practitioners and academics and aims to change the terminology to show that whilst some hazards are natural and unavoidable, the resulting disasters almost always have been made by human actions and decisions.


The discussion on why disasters are not natural isn't new. It's been written about, discussed and debated for many decades.


This online campaign seeks to build on those discussions and reach new audiences.

Resources to support the #NoNaturalDisasters campaign

Over the years, we’ve developed a range of resources to help disaster and emergency management professionals understand the #NoNaturalDisasters campaign and advocate for the removal of the term natural from discussions about disasters in the press, government documents, and research papers.


Press information

These briefings are designed for journalists, reporters, and authors to help spread the message that there are no natural disasters. They are available in the following languages:


Using the #NoNaturalDisasters campaign in the workplace

This toolkit helps disaster and emergency management professionals integrate the #NoNaturalDisasters message into their work. It is available in:


Additional workplace resources include:


Further Reading

  • The meteorite question – Our response to the argument that meteorite strikes prove ‘natural’ disasters exist.
  • Voting for a better DRR process – A briefing note on how voting in elections can help shape stronger disaster risk reduction (DRR) and emergency management systems while advancing the #NoNaturalDisasters campaign.


These resources are designed to support advocacy, education, and policy change. Explore them and join us in challenging the misconceptions around disasters.


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