@Johnjohnjohn,
According to what recent studies? Your definition of natural disasters reads a lot like "things which inconvenience humans." The climate is changing, Einstein, so certainly we will encounter weather patterns for which we had not prepared. Weather is not a synonym for climate. Climate change can radically alter weather. Weather has no effect on climate. Get your nose out of your bible and learn some useful things.
You talk about "the average of natural disasters reported" in 1970. Here's a little mathematical clue for you: You cannot derive an average from a single iteration. Since 1970 we have gotten cell phones, satellite phones, the internet, dramatically expanded satellite communications of all kinds. If fewer such events were
reported in 1970, it shouldn't surprise anyone who has been paying attention over the last 45 years.
There is an index for volcanic eruptions, called the volcanic explosivity index. Two volcanoes erupted in 1812, one in 1813 and one in 1814, all of which rated 4 or higher on the eight point VEI (there were other eruptions, these were just the largest
reported). In 1815, Mount Tambora erupted in the Dutch East Indies, rating seven on the eight point VEI. It was the most massive eruption
reported since the year 180. Together with the dust and ash thrown into the upper atmosphere by the four earlier eruptions, Tambora lead to a dramatic drop in temperatures around the world. People had many names for what they suffered in 1816, and "the year without a summer" is the most common among Europeans and North Americans.
In Ireland alone, 100,000 people starved to death or succumbed to diseases having been weakened by malnutrition.
Conservative estimates put the total deaths in Europe due to crop failures and food shortages at a half a million people. No one is certain how many died in China, but estimates run around 200,000. There were food riots in England and France, and all over Europe, people broke into warehouses looking for food, sometimes charging and overwhelming lines of armed soldiers to get at the food. No one can say how many head of livestock died because the grass did not grow and fodder was not available, but estimates run to millions of head. There was a frost general in Europe in August . . . allow me to emphasize that, it was in AUGUST. Seen anything like that lately, Bubba?
I'm sure Europe and North America were full of holy rollers declaring (somewhat prematurely) the end of days in 1816. That's the big problem with the religiously deluded--they only see what they want to see, and all they want to see is the confirmation of their selection bias. Basically, they're too f*cking ignorant to hold an intelligent conversation .
