Risks and Hazards: A geographical view

Abstract

This paper proposes a set of conceptual definitions referred to the environmental topic. It aims at giving semantic accuracy to common terms used in the analysis of hazards and risks. Scientific sources which relate the same term to different meanings and, occasionally, the same meaning to different terms are often found. This ambigüity does not favour the understanding of the topic and forces to define the key terms in order to give both conceptual clarity and fluency, as well as scientific consensus. The framework on hazards and risks is complemented with a brief reference to the origin and evolution of these studies and also to their transcendence in the scientific, socio-economic and political fields.