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1. Physical Vulnerability may be determined by aspects, such as population density levels, remoteness of a settlement, the site, design and materials used for critical infrastructure and for housing (UNISDR).  Example: Wooden homes are less likely to collapse in an earthquake, but are more vulnerable to fire. 2. Social Vulnerability: Refers to the inability of people, organizations and societies to withstand adverse impacts to hazards due to characteristics inherent in social interactions, institutions and systems of cultural values. It is linked to the level of well-being of individuals, communities and society. It includes aspects related to levels of literacy and education, the existence of peace and security, access to basic human rights, systems of good governance, social equity, positive traditional values, customs and ideological beliefs and overall collective organizational systems (UNISDR). In a disaster, women in general may be affected differently from men because of th...

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released a report, ‘Sand and Sustainability: Finding new solutions for environmental governance of global sand resources’, that highlights the problem of sand being extracted at rates exceeding natural replenishment rates. Coastal sand mining poses one of the biggest threats to our environment:  •While 85% to 90% of global sand demand is met from quarries, and sand and gravel pits, 10% to 15% extracted from rivers and seashores is a severe concern due to the environmental and social impacts.  •Their extraction often results in river and coastal erosion and threats to freshwater and marine fisheries and aquatic ecosystems, instability of river banks leading to increased flooding, and lowering of groundwater levels.  •The UNEP report notes that China and India head the list of critical hotspots for sand extraction impacts in rivers, lakes and coastlines.  •As per the report, most large rivers of the world have lost betwee...