Risk Governance and Sustainability: A Scientometric Analysis and Literature Review

The outbreak of COVID-19 evoked a heated discussion of its drivers and extensive impacts on achieving sustainable development goals. Considering the deepening global interconnectedness and complex human–environment interactions, it calls for a clarity of the two concepts of risk governance and sustainability and their relationships. In this paper, a comprehensive review was provided based on scientometric analysis. A total number of 1156 published papers were studied and a considerable increase of interest in this line of research was found. The research outputs show the interdisciplinary feature of this field but with a focus on environmental issues. The journal “Sustainability” was found to be the most productive journal. Geographic and institutional focus on the line of research were also visualized. Five salient research themes were identified as follows: (1) Resilience and adaptation to climate change; (2) Urban risk governance and sustainability; (3) Environmental governance and transformation; (4) Collaborative governance and policy integration; and (5) Corporate governance and sustainability. This paper provides insights into the heterogeneity of the risk governance and sustainability research. Additionally, the study unveiled the implicit relationship linking risk governance and sustainability: risk governance can be a process of participation and coordination, and a means of coping with the uncertainty and complexity to achieve sustainable outcomes. On the other hand, risk governance is a constant aim to be optimized in the process of sustainable development.

Analyse météorologique de l'évolution temporelle du risque d'inondation à Douala (Cameroun)

Cet article analyse l'évolution des inondations dans la ville de Douala à partir des méthodes permettant de calculer une valeur de débit maximum à l'aide des données météorologiques sur une période de 35 ans (1985-2019). Une base de données sur les inondations créée à l'aide d'informations issues de la presse montre que Douala est fréquemment inondée durant la saison des pluies par des systèmes précipitants en V associés à la mousson. On observe ainsi une augmentation du nombre d'inondations rapportées depuis les années 2010, qui semble corrélée avec l'évolution de l'emprise urbaine de la ville. Les zones urbaines inondées de façon récurrente sont le plus souvent les quartiers « informels » construits directement en zones inondables et dont l'accroissement est important depuis les années 1990. L'étude des inondations du 2 et 3 août 2000 à Douala indique qu'on avait une situation synoptique propice à de fortes précipitations. On peut par l'exemple noter que l'humidité relative était presque de 99 %, ce qui implique que l'air est saturé en eau avec une chute de température. L'intérêt de cette étude est de réduire la vulnérabilité en intégrant les populations et les décideurs au coeur des stratégies de développement et de gestion urbaine des risques liés aux aléas climatiques. This article analyzes the temporal evolution of flooding in the urban area of Douala using methods allowing to compute a maximum flow value using meteorological data over a period of 35 years (1985-2019). A flood database is created using information from the press showing that Douala is frequently flooded during the rainy season by V-shaped precipitating systems associated to the monsoon. We can thus observe an increase in the number of floods reported since the 2010s, which seems to be correlated with the evolution of the city's urban footprint. The recurrently flooded urban areas are most often informal neighbourhoods built directly in flood-prone areas and whose increase has been significant since the 1990s. The case study of the floods of August 2 and 3, 2000 in Douala indicates that there was a synoptic situation conducive to heavy rainfall. On the other hand, relative humidity is almost 99 % which requires the air to be saturated with water with a drop in temperature, which will cause a change of state. The purpose of this study is to reduce vulnerability by integrating populations and decision-makers at the heart of development strategies and urban risk management related to climatic hazards.