This chapter explains what hazards and disasters are, reviews their trends, and assesses the potential impact of changing climate on hazards and extreme events. Observations since 1950 indicate increases in some forms of extreme weather events. The recent Special Report on Extreme Events and Disasters (SREX) by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts further increases in the twenty-fi rst century, including a growing frequency of heat waves, rising wind speed of tropical

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... clones, and increasing intensity of droughts. A one-in-20-years "hottest day" event is likely to occur every other year by the end of the twenty-fi rst century. Heavy precipitation events are also on the rise, potentially impacting the frequency of fl oods and almost certainly affecting landslides. This chapter also examines the science of event attribution, its potential and possible issues. It further outlines the global distribution and impact of natural disasters.