A new viewpoint

Events from a human perspective
We’re now going to think about events from a human perspective.Thinking back to the beginning of our course, we looked at the eruption that occurred at Mount Etna, Italy in 2017. We discounted it as an extreme event because it was neither rare nor large.But it demonstrates how the types of events we’ve looked at so far can pose risks to us humans and our society. It also show how events can appear extreme relative to human experience.Extreme events in the future
At the end of Week 2 we asked you:Well, given what we’ve seen, the probability of experiencing a supereruption or large igneous province is very small as we said that:Of the events we explored which one do you think has the greatest potential to shape and impact our planet in the future?
- Supereruptions occur roughly once every 100,000 years
- Large igneous provinces only occur roughly once every 10 million years
Human understanding of events
This week we will see how preparations are made for potential future events based on the hazard and risks they present to us humans.Our understanding of the events we’ve looked at is arguably much more developed than ever before.It has evolved from eye-witness accounts to sophisticated modern day methods of measuring, evaluating and monitoring.We’ll begin Week 3 by considering how human experience and understanding of extreme geological events has developed over time.Our purpose is to transform access to education.
We offer a diverse selection of courses from leading universities and cultural institutions from around the world. These are delivered one step at a time, and are accessible on mobile, tablet and desktop, so you can fit learning around your life.
We believe learning should be an enjoyable, social experience, so our courses offer the opportunity to discuss what you’re learning with others as you go, helping you make fresh discoveries and form new ideas.
You can unlock new opportunities with unlimited access to hundreds of online short courses for a year by subscribing to our Unlimited package. Build your knowledge with top universities and organisations.
Learn more about how FutureLearn is transforming access to education