Natural hazard
A natural process or phenomenon, single, sequential or combined. Each hazard is described by its location, intensity or magnitude, frequency and probability.
Erasmus+ · Teacher education · 5 partners
Teaching risks at school
Free resources for teachers to help pupils understand floods, wildfires and storms, and to prepare their communities before disaster strikes.
Classroom model · UNDRR
Risk = Hazard × Exposure × Vulnerability
Moderate
Some exposure remains. Prevention and preparedness keep the risk in check.
The project
Climate change is already reshaping European territories
Extreme weather is no longer exceptional. In many parts of Europe, major events such as floods now occur at least every two years. Each territory is different, yet all face the same outcome: heavy economic losses and a lasting social crisis for the people affected.
Two gaps make things worse: citizens rarely think in terms of prevention, and crisis management is often weak when an event happens. CRISEPAC brings together partners from five countries, at the request of local people and actors, to build an educational answer to both gaps.
≤ 2 yearsbetween major climate events such as floods in many European territories
Equip education professionals
Run a support campaign so teachers and trainers can learn about natural risks, through an online platform, a MOOC and risk mapping.
Create cross-disciplinary teaching tools
List the online tools that already exist, design a new one for young people, and share knowledge with every citizen through an illustrated booklet.
Strengthen local communities
Build a network of experts and teachers, and contribute to conferences and workshops on managing natural risk in schools, for young people and adults alike.
Who it is for
Primary teachersSecondary teachersHead teachersUniversities and institutesAssociationsLocal authorities with an education remit
Key definitions
Hazard, disaster, risk
Three words that are often confused. CRISEPAC focuses on natural risk, and draws on the other two when the context calls for it.
Natural disaster
A serious disruption of how a community or society functions, leading to human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts.
Natural risk
The probability of an outcome that harms people, systems or assets. It combines the hazard, the people or assets exposed to it, and how vulnerable they are.
Definitions adapted from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
Resources · free for teachers
Learn, teach, map
Online course
The CRISEPAC MOOC
Nine modules with videos on natural risk in Europe, free for teachers and education professionals. Follow them in order or pick the module you need for your next lesson.
- Why teaching risks and disasters in class matters
- Risks, hazards, disasters, and disasters linked to climate change
- Risk memory
- Risk typology
- Natural risks, natural hazards and natural disasters
- Man-made risks, hazards and disasters
- Consequences and impacts of risk
- Disaster preparation and prevention
- Public information and preparedness
State of the art
Teaching tools
A shared inventory of tools already used across Europe to teach natural risks and disasters, collected by all partners. Use them freely in class or in youth training.
GRLVFRPT
Read the assessment report (EN)
For the whole family
Two activity booklets
Pupil-friendly workbooks that explain natural risks in Europe in plain, science-based language, with their answer sheets. Written for everyone, they can also guide a lesson in class.
Available in EN · FR · EL · LV · PT Download the bookletsStorymaps
Where, when and which risks?
Interactive maps to understand the risks of your own territory and adapt your lessons to local issues. They cover risks linked to global warming only.
Climate change and natural hazards in EuropeThe overview map
Wildfires in EuropeFire seasons, burnt areas, exposed regions
Floods and storms in EuropeRiver floods, coastal flooding, storms
Risks covered
FloodWildfireStormCoastal flooding
Downloads · PDF
The project library
All CRISEPAC publications, free to print and share. Your language is highlighted; every document exists in the five project languages.
Booklet 1 · 12 pages
Natural Risks
Vocabulary, a map of risks in Europe, the link with climate change and the practices that increase risk, through games and puzzles for pupils.
Booklet
Answers
Booklet 2 · 11 pages
Facing up to the risks: from understanding to action
Wildfires, floods and storms in detail: how they behave, their consequences, and how to prepare and protect yourself before, during and after.
Booklet
Answers
Policy paper · 17 to 20 pages
Policy paper on teaching natural hazards in schools
Recommendations for decision-makers, drawn from the project's work with teachers in five countries, to give natural risk education its place at school.
Read
Consortium
Five partners, one network
-
Environmental education · PauÉcocène
FRA non-profit association close to the scientific world. For over 20 years its multidisciplinary team has worked with schools, businesses and local authorities, offering concrete, local actions so everyone becomes more aware of and involved in their living environment.
-
European Association of GeographersEUROGEO
BEA European scientific society that connects geographers and related fields such as environment, planning, surveying and geotechnology. It promotes geography education and training from a European perspective, and cross-border cooperation.
-
Local authority · north-east LatviaGulbene Municipality
LVA remote, sparsely populated territory of 13 parishes and the town of Gulbene, 186 km from Riga, with about 19,000 inhabitants.
-
Adult education · AthensAthens Lifelong Learning Institute
GRDesigns learning and empowerment methods that help everyone take an active part in their community. Its guiding principle: adapt systems to the diversity of human needs, never the reverse.
-
Teachers' association · since 1979Casa do Professor
PTA social solidarity association recognised as a public utility organisation since 1999. Backed by 11,000 teachers across all levels, it runs social, scientific training and cultural activities.
Contact
Bring CRISEPAC to your school
A question about the MOOC, a workshop idea, or a wish to join the network of teachers and experts? Write to the project team.