Natural hazards—floods, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis or cyclones, hurricanes and tornadoes—have extraordinary impacts on the physical environment, plant and animal life, and on human communities. This book examines the nature of extreme events, what they are, the effects they have on natural and man-made systems, the implications for the future, and how extreme events—in the face of direct and indirect impacts of climate change—interact with the natural world and with people.