Volcanos, earthquakes, tsunamis and floods are frequent occurrences around the globe, and the February edition of the Science Book Forum, held at Qatar National Library on 18 February, probed the origin and impact of these natural disasters, which affect the lives of millions of people.
Participants learned what these disasters tell us about our planet’s evolution, and gained valuable insights from research being done in the area of natural hazard science. Interactive discussions were also enhanced by the rich array of illustrations, photographs and maps presented by planetary scientist and chair of the Science Book Forum, Dr. Essam Heggy.
Varun Muhel, student at MES Indian School, who attended the forum, said: “I learned today that natural disasters can happen anywhere, at any time and most important, why they happen. We study some of these topics in school, too, but taking part in a lively discussion like this makes it easier for me to understand the scientific reasons behind these incidents.”
Another attendee, Mohamed Housam, said: “We currently don’t see any major natural disasters happening in this region, but as the lecture highlighted, major floods used to happen often. Therefore, it is important to talk about common disasters such as volcanos, floods and bushfires like the one that recently happened in Australia, and also try to find scientific solutions to at least reduce the chances of these things happening.”
