Pub Date : 2018-12-01DOI: 10.1142/s2345737618990014
{"title":"Author Index Volume 5 (2018)","authors":"","doi":"10.1142/s2345737618990014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2345737618990014","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of extreme events","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1142/s2345737618990014","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48102917","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-12-01DOI: 10.1142/S2345737618400031
J. Popke, Conor Harrison
In the wake of the 2017 hurricane season, discussions across the Caribbean have turned to the need to develop more resilient energy systems, particularly through the deployment of renewable energy sources. In this paper, we examine the post-Hurricane Maria rebuilding of Dominica’s electricity system in light of recent scholarship around the Anthropocene and the Caribbean, work that has heightened awareness of the entanglements between the earth’s geophysical forces and its socio-economic and geo-political relations. Drawing on archival research and key informants in Dominica, we describe the history of Dominica’s energy system, and then provide an overview of some of the energy rebuilding efforts in the country’s ongoing recovery from Hurricane Maria, particularly around the question of resilience. While we acknowledge critiques of resilience as a framework for disaster management, we also argue that resilience initiatives foster the potential for an Anthropocene reimagining of geosocial formations within the Caribbean. In the conclusion, we argue that the domain of energy, and in particular electricity, opens up important questions at the interface of social-ecological relations and the organization of collective life.
{"title":"Energy, Resilience, and Responsibility in Post-Hurricane Maria Dominica: Ethical and Historical Perspectives on ‘Building Back Better’","authors":"J. Popke, Conor Harrison","doi":"10.1142/S2345737618400031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S2345737618400031","url":null,"abstract":"In the wake of the 2017 hurricane season, discussions across the Caribbean have turned to the need to develop more resilient energy systems, particularly through the deployment of renewable energy sources. In this paper, we examine the post-Hurricane Maria rebuilding of Dominica’s electricity system in light of recent scholarship around the Anthropocene and the Caribbean, work that has heightened awareness of the entanglements between the earth’s geophysical forces and its socio-economic and geo-political relations. Drawing on archival research and key informants in Dominica, we describe the history of Dominica’s energy system, and then provide an overview of some of the energy rebuilding efforts in the country’s ongoing recovery from Hurricane Maria, particularly around the question of resilience. While we acknowledge critiques of resilience as a framework for disaster management, we also argue that resilience initiatives foster the potential for an Anthropocene reimagining of geosocial formations within the Caribbean. In the conclusion, we argue that the domain of energy, and in particular electricity, opens up important questions at the interface of social-ecological relations and the organization of collective life.","PeriodicalId":73748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of extreme events","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1142/S2345737618400031","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48452234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-12-01DOI: 10.1142/S234573761840002X
Kevon Rhiney
On 6 September 2017, hurricane Irma made landfall in Sint Maarten causing extensive infrastructural damage and leaving thousands homeless in its aftermath. Despite ongoing relief efforts, the country is still facing a huge recovery task nearly one year on. Amid a new hurricane season, many questions remain about the country’s future and its state of readiness for possible future climate impacts. In response to these concerns, the government of Sint Maarten has recently spearheaded several initiatives supported by the World Bank and the Netherlands, aimed at mobilizing resources to fuel the recovery efforts and build local-level capacity to prepare for future disaster events. These initiatives include several key pieces of legislations and plans that have set out the government’s vision and priorities. For this paper, I draw on these reports along with several key informant interviews conducted in summer 2018 to offer some preliminary insights on Sint Maarten’s post-hurricane situation. More specifically, I explore how ideas around resilience and “building back better”, get mobilized and incorporated in the recovery efforts and plans following Irma, and the particular work these perform both materially and discursively. The paper also highlights the various ways the post-hurricane situation has become a highly contested and politicized post/colonial terrain, fueled largely by the ongoing tensions and power asymmetries between the Netherlands and the Sint Maarten government.
{"title":"Recipe for Resilience? Tracing the Biopolitics of Sint Maarten’s Recovery Efforts After Irma","authors":"Kevon Rhiney","doi":"10.1142/S234573761840002X","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S234573761840002X","url":null,"abstract":"On 6 September 2017, hurricane Irma made landfall in Sint Maarten causing extensive infrastructural damage and leaving thousands homeless in its aftermath. Despite ongoing relief efforts, the country is still facing a huge recovery task nearly one year on. Amid a new hurricane season, many questions remain about the country’s future and its state of readiness for possible future climate impacts. In response to these concerns, the government of Sint Maarten has recently spearheaded several initiatives supported by the World Bank and the Netherlands, aimed at mobilizing resources to fuel the recovery efforts and build local-level capacity to prepare for future disaster events. These initiatives include several key pieces of legislations and plans that have set out the government’s vision and priorities. For this paper, I draw on these reports along with several key informant interviews conducted in summer 2018 to offer some preliminary insights on Sint Maarten’s post-hurricane situation. More specifically, I explore how ideas around resilience and “building back better”, get mobilized and incorporated in the recovery efforts and plans following Irma, and the particular work these perform both materially and discursively. The paper also highlights the various ways the post-hurricane situation has become a highly contested and politicized post/colonial terrain, fueled largely by the ongoing tensions and power asymmetries between the Netherlands and the Sint Maarten government.","PeriodicalId":73748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of extreme events","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1142/S234573761840002X","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49653093","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-12-01DOI: 10.1142/S2345737618400018
M. Sheller
The devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria across the northeastern Caribbean not only bring closer a world of immediate climate disaster and halting recovery, but also cast a long shadow of slow disasters and impossible futures for small island states in the face of significantly unstable and unpredictable climate patterns. In contrast to the mainstream idea of just “building back better” the paper underscores the need to also better account for the root causes of disaster risk and violent histories that still influence recovery processes at present. The paper draws on the recent debates over Caribbean reconstruction in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, but sets this immediate crisis in the context of longer debates over Caribbean reconstruction, reparations and climate justice. Revisiting arguments in W.E.B. DuBois’s classic sociological study of “Black Reconstruction in America”, this commentary also foregrounds Aldon Morris’s concept of “insurgent intellectual networks” to analyze the emergence of transnational “liberation capital” in the Caribbean region. These approaches help not only to ask how should we recover from or adapt to such storms, but how should major contributors to global warming pay for rebuilding, reparations, and restitution? What forms of deliberation, participation, procedural processes, and capabilities are necessary to make these determinations? Should restorative justice be linked to the Caricom demand for the European Union to pay reparations for slavery? And finally, what forms of epistemic justice are needed to recognize and support the work of insurgent intellectual networks?
{"title":"Caribbean Reconstruction and Climate Justice: Transnational Insurgent Intellectual Networks and Post-Hurricane Transformation","authors":"M. Sheller","doi":"10.1142/S2345737618400018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S2345737618400018","url":null,"abstract":"The devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria across the northeastern Caribbean not only bring closer a world of immediate climate disaster and halting recovery, but also cast a long shadow of slow disasters and impossible futures for small island states in the face of significantly unstable and unpredictable climate patterns. In contrast to the mainstream idea of just “building back better” the paper underscores the need to also better account for the root causes of disaster risk and violent histories that still influence recovery processes at present. The paper draws on the recent debates over Caribbean reconstruction in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, but sets this immediate crisis in the context of longer debates over Caribbean reconstruction, reparations and climate justice. Revisiting arguments in W.E.B. DuBois’s classic sociological study of “Black Reconstruction in America”, this commentary also foregrounds Aldon Morris’s concept of “insurgent intellectual networks” to analyze the emergence of transnational “liberation capital” in the Caribbean region. These approaches help not only to ask how should we recover from or adapt to such storms, but how should major contributors to global warming pay for rebuilding, reparations, and restitution? What forms of deliberation, participation, procedural processes, and capabilities are necessary to make these determinations? Should restorative justice be linked to the Caricom demand for the European Union to pay reparations for slavery? And finally, what forms of epistemic justice are needed to recognize and support the work of insurgent intellectual networks?","PeriodicalId":73748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of extreme events","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1142/S2345737618400018","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42532767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-12-01DOI: 10.1142/S2345737618500185
Zoé A. Hamstead, C. Farmer, T. McPhearson
Extreme heat is becoming an increasingly dangerous threat to urban residents. However, unlike hazards such as storm surges which have been well studied by agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Commission in the United States, communities lack basic knowledge of where extreme heat threats are likely to have the most impact, and who is likely to be most affected. Here, we apply a mapping approach to identify areas of New York City where people are likely to be particularly vulnerable to extreme heat-related health effects based on both exposure to biophysical elements that exacerbate heat, and sensitivity to heat-related health impacts. Unlike most studies that develop indicators of heat vulnerability at Census-based aggregations, we disaggregate population data to a fine scale, in order to more precisely identify vulnerable communities. Using a landscape-based indicator that links exposure to properties of the urban built and natural landscape, we develop an approach for informing land-based strategies for mitigating micro-urban heat islands. Our findings indicate that African Americans and households living below the poverty line are disproportionately exposed to high surface temperatures. This study illustrates an approach for identifying multiple dimensions of vulnerability to extreme heat with improved location precision, in a way that informs spatially strategic extreme heat mitigation efforts.
{"title":"Landscape-Based Extreme Heat Vulnerability Assessment","authors":"Zoé A. Hamstead, C. Farmer, T. McPhearson","doi":"10.1142/S2345737618500185","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S2345737618500185","url":null,"abstract":"Extreme heat is becoming an increasingly dangerous threat to urban residents. However, unlike hazards such as storm surges which have been well studied by agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Commission in the United States, communities lack basic knowledge of where extreme heat threats are likely to have the most impact, and who is likely to be most affected. Here, we apply a mapping approach to identify areas of New York City where people are likely to be particularly vulnerable to extreme heat-related health effects based on both exposure to biophysical elements that exacerbate heat, and sensitivity to heat-related health impacts. Unlike most studies that develop indicators of heat vulnerability at Census-based aggregations, we disaggregate population data to a fine scale, in order to more precisely identify vulnerable communities. Using a landscape-based indicator that links exposure to properties of the urban built and natural landscape, we develop an approach for informing land-based strategies for mitigating micro-urban heat islands. Our findings indicate that African Americans and households living below the poverty line are disproportionately exposed to high surface temperatures. This study illustrates an approach for identifying multiple dimensions of vulnerability to extreme heat with improved location precision, in a way that informs spatially strategic extreme heat mitigation efforts.","PeriodicalId":73748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of extreme events","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1142/S2345737618500185","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49280282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-09-01DOI: 10.1142/S2345737618500112
S. Greiving, Juan Du, Wiriya Puntub
Currently, potentials of spatial planning in disaster risk mitigation have not yet been fully tapped, especially in the context of managed retreat regarding both inhabitants and infrastructure in hazard prone areas. Retreat as a development opportunity in adjusting spatial patterns, diverging urban growth, reducing risks in pre- and post-disasters, achieving urban resilience and “Build Back Better” is undervalued. Besides little success achieved so far, there is a lack of context-specific lessons learnt, particularly in how to prioritize planned retreat. In this paper we attempt to investigate potential barriers, challenges and opportunities of disaster risk-related retreat in both developing and developed countries. Using several country studies, we review and categorise retreat strategies in different development settings and disaster contexts and highlight comparative discussions of both reactive and proactive retreat strategies. We argue that managed retreat can be an effective spatial resilience strategy in disaster mitigation. We propose to examine success factors of retreat, its indicators and criteria, a balance with on-site upgrading and an application of retreat typologies. We emphasise critical aspects including the enhancement of institutional capacity in risk governance, the adoption of legally binding hazard maps and hazard-controlled land use, especially prior to disasters. We vote for embedding of affordable housing with planned retreat schemes and sustaining resettlement sites with viable livelihood strategies, and finally monitoring and evaluating impacts of retreat schemes along with urban development and livelihood performance. We also emphasise community-driven retreat strategies with participation mechanism to ensure inhabitants’ concerns in retreat planning processes to its local context.
{"title":"Managed Retreat — A Strategy for the Mitigation of Disaster Risks with International and Comparative Perspectives","authors":"S. Greiving, Juan Du, Wiriya Puntub","doi":"10.1142/S2345737618500112","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S2345737618500112","url":null,"abstract":"Currently, potentials of spatial planning in disaster risk mitigation have not yet been fully tapped, especially in the context of managed retreat regarding both inhabitants and infrastructure in hazard prone areas. Retreat as a development opportunity in adjusting spatial patterns, diverging urban growth, reducing risks in pre- and post-disasters, achieving urban resilience and “Build Back Better” is undervalued. Besides little success achieved so far, there is a lack of context-specific lessons learnt, particularly in how to prioritize planned retreat. In this paper we attempt to investigate potential barriers, challenges and opportunities of disaster risk-related retreat in both developing and developed countries. Using several country studies, we review and categorise retreat strategies in different development settings and disaster contexts and highlight comparative discussions of both reactive and proactive retreat strategies. We argue that managed retreat can be an effective spatial resilience strategy in disaster mitigation. We propose to examine success factors of retreat, its indicators and criteria, a balance with on-site upgrading and an application of retreat typologies. We emphasise critical aspects including the enhancement of institutional capacity in risk governance, the adoption of legally binding hazard maps and hazard-controlled land use, especially prior to disasters. We vote for embedding of affordable housing with planned retreat schemes and sustaining resettlement sites with viable livelihood strategies, and finally monitoring and evaluating impacts of retreat schemes along with urban development and livelihood performance. We also emphasise community-driven retreat strategies with participation mechanism to ensure inhabitants’ concerns in retreat planning processes to its local context.","PeriodicalId":73748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of extreme events","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1142/S2345737618500112","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43105736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-09-01DOI: 10.1142/S2345737618500100
M. Hope, J. McCloskey, D. Hunt, D. Crowley, M. Nicbhloscaidh
The innovation process is central to effective adaption to climate change and development challenges, but models from business and management tend to dominate innovation theory, which sits outside the adaption-development paradigm. This paper presents an alternative conceptual framework to visualize innovations as pathways across the adaption-development landscape for humanitarian and development goals. This useful tool can reveal, map and coordinate innovation strategy. To demonstrate and validate this approach, we analyze a case study of innovation in aftershock forecasting for humanitarian decision-making and show that the most effective strategy is for multiple innovation strands and hubs to move concurrently and cumulatively towards transformative humanitarian and development goals.
{"title":"Innovation Pathways to Adaption for Humanitarian and Development Goals: A Case Study of Aftershock Forecasting for Disaster Risk Management","authors":"M. Hope, J. McCloskey, D. Hunt, D. Crowley, M. Nicbhloscaidh","doi":"10.1142/S2345737618500100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S2345737618500100","url":null,"abstract":"The innovation process is central to effective adaption to climate change and development challenges, but models from business and management tend to dominate innovation theory, which sits outside the adaption-development paradigm. This paper presents an alternative conceptual framework to visualize innovations as pathways across the adaption-development landscape for humanitarian and development goals. This useful tool can reveal, map and coordinate innovation strategy. To demonstrate and validate this approach, we analyze a case study of innovation in aftershock forecasting for humanitarian decision-making and show that the most effective strategy is for multiple innovation strands and hubs to move concurrently and cumulatively towards transformative humanitarian and development goals.","PeriodicalId":73748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of extreme events","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1142/S2345737618500100","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48171099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-09-01DOI: 10.1142/S2345737618500136
P. Kirshen, T. Ballestero, E. Douglas, Christine D. Miller Hesed, M. Ruth, M. Paolisso, Chris Watson, Phil Giffee, Kimberly Vermeer, K. Bosma
Pressing challenges in urban adaptation planning to extreme events include: (1) involving vulnerable populations in the impacted area; and (2) employing a multi-level stakeholder collaborative process to build consensus for action. These processes become even more important as adaptive urban planning is recognized as an effective governance model for adaptation to climate change. In a case study of a low to moderate income community vulnerable to present and increased coastal storm surge flooding, the Supported Community Planning Process was employed because (a) most residents of East Boston affiliate primarily with their own local neighborhoods and (b) the residents need targeted expertise to help them understand some of the scientific and technical aspects of adaptation planning. Collaboration was necessary among three sets of critical stakeholders interested in adaptation strategies in East Boston — the local residents and small businesses, the City of Boston, and the agencies that provide infrastructure services — because some adaptation actions will collectively protect assets of all. The overall process occurred successfully because of positive, knowledgeable, and direct exchange of values and goals. The research illustrates how marginalized populations can be effectively engaged in urban adaptation planning, and how that process can be combined in multi-level stakeholder collaborative planning so that plans might be developed that meet multiple shared and individual goals in a cost-effective manner.
{"title":"Engaging Vulnerable Populations in Multi-Level Stakeholder Collaborative Urban Adaptation Planning for Extreme Events and Climate Risks — A Case Study of East Boston USA","authors":"P. Kirshen, T. Ballestero, E. Douglas, Christine D. Miller Hesed, M. Ruth, M. Paolisso, Chris Watson, Phil Giffee, Kimberly Vermeer, K. Bosma","doi":"10.1142/S2345737618500136","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S2345737618500136","url":null,"abstract":"Pressing challenges in urban adaptation planning to extreme events include: (1) involving vulnerable populations in the impacted area; and (2) employing a multi-level stakeholder collaborative process to build consensus for action. These processes become even more important as adaptive urban planning is recognized as an effective governance model for adaptation to climate change. In a case study of a low to moderate income community vulnerable to present and increased coastal storm surge flooding, the Supported Community Planning Process was employed because (a) most residents of East Boston affiliate primarily with their own local neighborhoods and (b) the residents need targeted expertise to help them understand some of the scientific and technical aspects of adaptation planning. Collaboration was necessary among three sets of critical stakeholders interested in adaptation strategies in East Boston — the local residents and small businesses, the City of Boston, and the agencies that provide infrastructure services — because some adaptation actions will collectively protect assets of all. The overall process occurred successfully because of positive, knowledgeable, and direct exchange of values and goals. The research illustrates how marginalized populations can be effectively engaged in urban adaptation planning, and how that process can be combined in multi-level stakeholder collaborative planning so that plans might be developed that meet multiple shared and individual goals in a cost-effective manner.","PeriodicalId":73748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of extreme events","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1142/S2345737618500136","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45429100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-09-01DOI: 10.1142/S234573761850015X
H. Eakin, Tischa A. Muñoz-Erickson, M. Lemos
The unprecedented number of devastating disasters recently experienced in the United States is a clarion call to revisit how we understand our vulnerability in the face of global change, and what we are prepared to do about it. We focus on the case of Hurricane María’s impact in Puerto Rico to underscore five critical concerns in addressing vulnerability and adaptation planning: (i) vulnerability as a product of flows; (ii) how our beliefs about the capacities of ourselves and others affect local vulnerability; (iii) the role uncertainty, politics, and information access play in amplifying vulnerability and complicating adaptation; (iv) the need for a better distribution of risk and responsibility in adaptation; (v) and the challenge of seizing the opportunity of disasters for transformative change. These five issues of concern were particularly evident in the case of Puerto Rico where Hurricane María’s 155 mph winds exposed existing infrastructural vulnerabilities, institutional incapacities, and socio-economic disparities. We argue that addressing these issues requires fundamental shifts in how we prepare for environmental change and disasters in the 21st century. We discuss promising approaches that may assist researchers and practitioners in addressing some of the underlying drivers of vulnerability, stemming from cross-scalar dynamics, systemic interdependencies, and the politics and social relations associated with knowledge, decision-making and action. We argue that society needs to broach the difficult topic of the equity in the distribution of risk in society and the burden of adaptation. Addressing these challenges and response imperatives is a central task of this century; the time to act is now.
{"title":"Critical Lines of Action for Vulnerability and Resilience Research and Practice: Lessons from the 2017 Hurricane Season","authors":"H. Eakin, Tischa A. Muñoz-Erickson, M. Lemos","doi":"10.1142/S234573761850015X","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S234573761850015X","url":null,"abstract":"The unprecedented number of devastating disasters recently experienced in the United States is a clarion call to revisit how we understand our vulnerability in the face of global change, and what we are prepared to do about it. We focus on the case of Hurricane María’s impact in Puerto Rico to underscore five critical concerns in addressing vulnerability and adaptation planning: (i) vulnerability as a product of flows; (ii) how our beliefs about the capacities of ourselves and others affect local vulnerability; (iii) the role uncertainty, politics, and information access play in amplifying vulnerability and complicating adaptation; (iv) the need for a better distribution of risk and responsibility in adaptation; (v) and the challenge of seizing the opportunity of disasters for transformative change. These five issues of concern were particularly evident in the case of Puerto Rico where Hurricane María’s 155 mph winds exposed existing infrastructural vulnerabilities, institutional incapacities, and socio-economic disparities. We argue that addressing these issues requires fundamental shifts in how we prepare for environmental change and disasters in the 21st century. We discuss promising approaches that may assist researchers and practitioners in addressing some of the underlying drivers of vulnerability, stemming from cross-scalar dynamics, systemic interdependencies, and the politics and social relations associated with knowledge, decision-making and action. We argue that society needs to broach the difficult topic of the equity in the distribution of risk in society and the burden of adaptation. Addressing these challenges and response imperatives is a central task of this century; the time to act is now.","PeriodicalId":73748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of extreme events","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1142/S234573761850015X","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42270245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-09-01DOI: 10.1142/S2345737618500148
Jasdeep Singh
The discourse on resilient cities encapsulates various analogies, which are further constructed through the work of researchers in creation of several resilience assessment methodologies and toolkits. Despite the presence of numerous resilience assessment tools, there is an apparent lack of participation of residents of the global south within the assessment and iterative transformation processes. The situation, hence, is not truly represented through application of these tools in certain socio-political climates such as of India. Consistent economic growth of India has resulted in rapid urbanization of major cities. But, this has not been supplemented with proper planning, resulting in imbalances in all spheres of city infrastructure. Delhi, capital city of India, has been one of the worst hit cities. The hot seasons have caused thousands of fatalities in the past few years. An attempt is made to review the application of current resilience tools in Delhi against the backdrop of the sustainable development goals. In an attempt to improve the approach of these existing tools, an initial iteration is conducted, hinging on qualitative data obtained through surveying a sample population of the city and accessible quantitative metric data. Possible intervention scenarios are further suggested in view of aforementioned stressors and resilience scores. Research question: Where are the current resilience tools found lacking in the case of the global south, specifically in Delhi? How can the applicability of these tools be improved without compromising the deliverables yet ensuring an all-inclusive approach? Key findings: (1) The city is found lacking in adequate infrastructure facilities to its residents especially within the ambits of basic water and sanitation provision and healthcare services. (2) The city is relatively unprepared to face unforeseen events, both at the administrative and the grassroots levels. The lack of knowledge transfer and cooperation are largely evident.
{"title":"Towards a More Resilient Delhi: Rapid Urbanization and Climate Change","authors":"Jasdeep Singh","doi":"10.1142/S2345737618500148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S2345737618500148","url":null,"abstract":"The discourse on resilient cities encapsulates various analogies, which are further constructed through the work of researchers in creation of several resilience assessment methodologies and toolkits. Despite the presence of numerous resilience assessment tools, there is an apparent lack of participation of residents of the global south within the assessment and iterative transformation processes. The situation, hence, is not truly represented through application of these tools in certain socio-political climates such as of India. Consistent economic growth of India has resulted in rapid urbanization of major cities. But, this has not been supplemented with proper planning, resulting in imbalances in all spheres of city infrastructure. Delhi, capital city of India, has been one of the worst hit cities. The hot seasons have caused thousands of fatalities in the past few years. An attempt is made to review the application of current resilience tools in Delhi against the backdrop of the sustainable development goals. In an attempt to improve the approach of these existing tools, an initial iteration is conducted, hinging on qualitative data obtained through surveying a sample population of the city and accessible quantitative metric data. Possible intervention scenarios are further suggested in view of aforementioned stressors and resilience scores. Research question: Where are the current resilience tools found lacking in the case of the global south, specifically in Delhi? How can the applicability of these tools be improved without compromising the deliverables yet ensuring an all-inclusive approach? Key findings: (1) The city is found lacking in adequate infrastructure facilities to its residents especially within the ambits of basic water and sanitation provision and healthcare services. (2) The city is relatively unprepared to face unforeseen events, both at the administrative and the grassroots levels. The lack of knowledge transfer and cooperation are largely evident.","PeriodicalId":73748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of extreme events","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1142/S2345737618500148","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45410595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：