Collective Choices Affecting Natural Hazards Governance, Risk, and Vulnerability

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Thaler ◽  
David Shively ◽  
Jacob Petersen-Perlman ◽  
Lenka Slavikova ◽  
Thomas Hartmann
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
International Conflicts ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Transboundary River Basins ◽  
Institutional Cooperation ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Governance Risk ◽  
Local Levels

The frequency and severity of extreme weather events are expected to increase due to climate change. These developments and challenges have focused the attention of policymakers on the question of how to manage natural hazards. The main political discourse revolves around the questions of how we can make our society more resilient for possible future events. A central challenge reflects collective choices, which affect natural hazards governance, risk, and individual and societal vulnerability. In particular, transboundary river basins present difficult and challenging decisions at local, regional, national, and international levels as they involve and engage large numbers of stakeholders. Each of these groups has different perspectives and interests in how to design and organize flood risk management, which often hinder transnational collaborations in terms of upstream–downstream or different riverbed cooperation. Numerous efforts to resolve these conflicts have historically been tried across the world, particularly in relation to institutional cooperation. Consequently, greater engagement of different countries in management of natural hazards risks could decrease international conflicts and increase capacity at regional and local levels to adapt to future hazard events. Better understanding of the issues, perspectives, choices, and potential for conflict, and clear sharing of responsibilities, is crucial for reducing impacts of future events at the transboundary level.

scholarly journals Assessing social capacity and vulnerability of private households to natural hazards – integrating psychological and governance factors

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1613-1628 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Werg ◽  
T. Grothmann ◽  
P. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Minority Status ◽  
Industrialized Countries ◽  
Medium Term ◽  
Private Households ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Socio Demographic Factors ◽  
Financial Losses

Abstract. People are unequally affected by extreme weather events in terms of mortality, morbidity and financial losses; this is the case not only for developing, but also for industrialized countries. Previous research has established indicators for identifying who is particularly vulnerable and why, focusing on socio-demographic factors such as income, age, gender, health and minority status. However, these factors can only partly explain the large disparities in the extent to which people are affected by natural hazards. Moreover, these factors are usually not alterable in the short to medium term, which limits their usefulness for strategies of reducing social vulnerability and building social capacity. Based on a literature review and an expert survey, we propose an approach for refining assessments of social vulnerability and building social capacity by integrating psychological and governance factors.

Natural Hazards and Their Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dewald van Niekerk ◽  
Livhuwani David Nemakonde
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Hazard Management ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Sub Saharan

The sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region, along with the rest of the African continent, is prone to a wide variety of natural hazards. Most of these hazards and the associated disasters are relatively silent and insidious, encroaching on life and livelihoods, increasing social, economic, and environmental vulnerability even to moderate events. With the majority of SSA’s disasters being of hydrometeorological origin, climate change through an increase in the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events is likely to exacerbate the situation. Whereas a number of countries in SSA face significant governance challenges to effectively respond to disasters and manage risk reduction measures, considerable progress has been made since the early 2000s in terms of policies, strategies, and/or institutional mechanisms to advance disaster risk reduction and disaster risk management. As such, most countries in SSA have developed/reviewed policies, strategies, and plans and put in place institutions with dedicated staffs and resources for natural hazard management. However, the lack of financial backing, limited skills, lack of coordination among sectors, weak political leadership, inadequate communication, and shallow natural hazard risk assessment, hinders effective natural hazard management in SSA. The focus here is on the governance of natural hazards in the sub-Saharan Africa region, and an outline of SSA’s natural hazard profile is presented. Climate change is increasing the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events, thus influencing the occurrence of natural hazards in this region. Also emphasized are good practices in natural hazard governance, and SSA’s success stories are described. Finally, recommendations on governance arrangements for effective implementation of disaster risk reduction initiatives and measures are provided.

Extreme Weather and Water-Related Disasters: A Key Issue for the Sustainability and Survivability of Our Society

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaoru Takara
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
The World ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Difference

1. Extreme Weather and Water-Related Disasters Extreme weather events frequently take place in many parts of the world, causing various kinds of water-related disasters such as windstorms, floods, high tides, debris flows, droughts, and water-quality issues. This is a key issue for the sustainability and survivability of our society. The Asian and Pacific region is one of the most disaster-prone areas in the world. It is very adversely affected by natural hazards such as cyclones and typhoons and tsunami caused by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions under the sea. These natural hazards bring severe disasters to all countries in the region where social change, in terms of population and economic growth, is the most dynamic in the world. Growth in this region of the world has not, however, led to advances in disaster risk management. The situation is getting worse because infrastructure development cannot keep up with growth. Policies for poverty reduction and alleviation are insufficient and the difference between being rich and being poor is increasing. Vulnerable populations are often those hit worst by hazards and disasters. As the world’s cities expand to occupy ever greater portions of the world’s flood plains, riversides and shorelines, the risk of flooding will continue to outpace both structural and nonstructural mitigation efforts. “A natural hazard strikes when persons lose their memory of the previous one.” This quotation is from Dr. Torahiko Terada (1878-1935), a former Professor of the University of Tokyo who influenced many Japanese persons as an educator, physicist and philosopher. Persons tend to forget bad memories if they do not experience a similar event for a long time. This lack of experience and ignorance increases the vulnerability of society to disasters.

Climate Change and Insecurity: Mapping Vulnerability in Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 132-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua W. Busby ◽  
Todd G. Smith ◽  
Kaiba L. White ◽  
Shawn M. Strange
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Mapping Vulnerability

Many experts argue that climate change will exacerbate the severity and number of extreme weather events. Such climate-related hazards will be important security concerns and sources of vulnerability in the future regardless of whether they contribute to conflict. This will be particularly true where these hazards put large numbers of people at risk of death, requiring the diversion of either domestic or foreign military assets to provide humanitarian relief. Vulnerability to extreme weather, however, is only partially a function of physical exposure. Poor, marginalized communities that lack access to infrastructure and services, that have minimal education and poor health care, and that exist in countries with poor governance are likely to be among the most vulnerable. Given its dependence on rainfed agriculture and its low adaptive capacity, Africa is thought to be among the most vulnerable continents to climate change. That vulnerability, however, is not uniformly distributed. Indicators of vulnerability within Africa include the historic incidence of climate-related hazards, population density, household and community resilience, and governance and political violence. Among the places in Africa most vulnerable to the security consequences of climate change are parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and South Sudan.

Assessing Transportation Assets for Vulnerability to Extreme Weather and Other Natural Hazards

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-21
Author(s):  
Benjamin Blandford ◽  
Scott Schurman ◽  
Candice Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Vulnerability Assessment ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Transportation System ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
University Of Kentucky ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Scoring Tool ◽  
The University

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) at the University of Kentucky developed and performed an assessment of the vulnerability of the state’s national highway system (NHS) to extreme weather events and natural hazards. The assessment was designed as a hybrid process that 1) gathered and analyzed existing and available quantitative data on natural hazards, including meteorological hazards and geological hazards; 2) executed a series of workshops at KYTC districts throughout the state to elicit local expert knowledge on transportation system vulnerabilities; and 3) incorporated all data into a single vulnerability assessment. The workshops involved several facilitated exercises, including map-based discussions and keypad exercises to identify vulnerabilities along highway segments. Data from the mapping and keypad exercises were gathered in a geographic information system (GIS) and combined with the other hazard data to identify vulnerabilities for each highway segment. FHWA’s Vulnerability Assessment Scoring Tool (VAST) was used to process all the data into a single and ultimate assessment. Results from this analysis include a district-level prioritized ranking of NHS segments based on their vulnerability to extreme weather and natural hazard events. Additionally, a district vulnerability assessment report for each district highlighted the most vulnerable assets in the district and discussed their vulnerabilities in detail. This research is intended to aid KYTC in identifying at-risk infrastructure and direct the implementation of preparedness and resilience measures, thus helping to protect the integrity of the transportation system and the sound investment of taxpayer dollars.

scholarly journals Coverage of extreme weather events and natural hazards in Pacific Island Countries: The need for media capacity-building

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shailendra Singh ◽  
Vijay Naidu
Keyword(s):  
Capacity Building ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
The Media ◽  
Pacific Island Countries

There would be little disagreement over the media’s crucial role in reporting extreme weather events and natural hazards, which have become more commonplace in Pacific Island Countries (PICs). However, for various reasons explored in this article, the media have generally failed to satisfactorily cover the unfolding of natural hazards and disasters. Using Fiji as an example, this article discusses media coverage of various cyclones, and the gaps in the reporting. The article argues that more training and capacity building for media personnel should be undertaken to ensure that people are well informed and prepared as they face the brunt of more frequent and intense extreme weather events.

Strategic tourism management to address natural hazards in coastal areas: lessons from Buenos Aires, Argentina

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 503-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariadna Belen Tanana ◽  
Cecilia Alejandra Rodriguez ◽  
Verónica Gil
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Buenos Aires ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Physical Geography ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Development Processes

Purpose The integral approach to risk is currently an important background for the local development processes within the sustaintability framework. Given the greater frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events in the period 2005-2015, whose inventory shows a total of 78 extreme climate events in the four thermal stations, the purpose of this paper is to analyze risk situations and their corresponding management in the tourist destinations (TD) of the Atlantic coast of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Design/methodology/approach Risk management in TDs has not been addressed in depth in the study area. Because of that, this study is exploratory and descriptive, and it was conducted by quantitative and qualitative methods. The occurrence of extreme weather events was the trigger of this study. Thereafter, the existence of risk situations was analyzed from the combination of natural hazards and material and human damage. The actions taken by the public sector were identified to make a diagnosis of the current management of coastal destinations in the province of Buenos Aires. Findings The result of this study shows that TDs do not apply integral models of risk management, as only 16% of the total registered events were attended by public management from reactive measures to the event. It is believed possible to replicate this study in other TDs, regardless of its main tourism modality, as the analysis carried out in the coastal destinations of Buenos Aires shows that it is necessary to plan and manage risk to avoid and/or mitigate material, social and economic damages of the resident and tourist population. Practical implications The main implication of the study, in practical terms, is associated with the incorporation of specific equipment for the detection of storms and other meteorological phenomena. In addition, it should start, from the management, with a process of awareness of the resident and tourist population about the risk and its consequences. Social implications Knowing the existence of natural hazards is a strategic resource for public management. From the identification of the hazards, exposure and vulnerability of the population, it is possible to begin to take measures to mitigate the risk and conduct awareness campaigns about the risk situations that may arise from the occurrence of meteorological phenomena. in beach areas. In this sense, the development of a culture of risk is very important. Originality/value The relationship between the occurrence of extreme weather events and tourism has not been addressed in depth in Argentina. Therefore, this work provides an interdisciplinary vision (from tourism and physical geography) about the hazards that extreme phenomena represent in TDs, the situations of risk that they detaches there and the weakness of public management in coastal destinations of Buenos Aires. This case study shows that the absence of planning and risk management has serious implications for the continuity of the development processes of the destinations.

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