Climate natural disasters and response of the protection, rescue and relief system in the Republic of Slovenia

Research gap:

Although the human civilization is trying to understand, interpret, and in recent period, to predict and manage the development of natural phenomena, the related consequences are still surprising. Moreover, they represent a dominating form of security challenges in modern societies, by threatening human lives, critical infrastructure and property.

Due to new, unconventional challenges posed by the climate-change-dependent changing environment, national security systems are facing urgently needed changes. Increasingly common are interconnected extreme natural phenomena that affect settlement areas. If we add to this fact the increasing complexity of the organization and functioning of modern society and its (sub)systems, the challenge to be addressed by the national security system is all the greater. The project will address this gap by analyzing the situation in this area and answering the question of what are the recommended and necessary changes.

Content of the project:

Geographical analyzes show a sharp increase in extreme natural phenomena in the so-called contact spaces. These are the intersection points of various physical and human-geographical factors. In Slovenia, they are characterized by its location at the intersection of four major geographical regions. The intersection of different geographical units is not only Slovenian economic (transport, logistics, tourism) and political comparative advantage, but also has a negative side. In the past, this was mainly reflected in the great interest of the great political powers in this area and also in the frequent natural phenomena, which often turn into natural disasters. Earthquakes, floods, (landslides), hail, gale-force winds and, last but not least, icy storms (sleet) are natural phenomena that are considered the greatest threat in Slovenia. In the last two decades they have increased as a result of global climate change.

Protection against natural and other disasters in Slovenia is a subsystem of the state's national security and is implemented in the form of a unified and comprehensive system organized by the state and local communities. The system enables the reduction and prevention of disasters and, above all, the occurrence of victims.

The frequent natural phenomena as a result of climate change that have occurred in the last two decades throughout the territory of the Republic of Slovenia, be it numerous floods and storms or the sleet in 2014, and the repeated forest fires in the Karst region, have shown the vulnerability of modern society, the interconnectedness and interdependence of important social and technical infrastructures, as well as the dependence on electricity distribution and the weakness of information and communication systems, including the transport network. In any case, the 2014 ice storm is an extremely specific security event that far exceeded previous experience of crisis situations in the field of protection and rescue and the functioning of the state at all levels.