| 1. |
- Albrecht, Frederike
(författare)
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Natural hazards as political events : framing and politicisation of floods in the United Kingdom
- 2022
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Ingår i: Environmental Hazards. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1747-7891 .- 1878-0059. ; 21:1, s. 17-35
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study explores how disasters are framed and politicised in the media to provide a systematic assessment of discursive dynamics and external political contexts of natural hazards. Utilising an actor-focused approach, it contributes with knowledge on how politicisation of disaster discourses unfolds. Two similar natural hazard events, the United Kingdom floods of 2005 and 2015, are investigated by means of a content analysis and a political claims analysis. The study finds that a tension between the national government and its contestants following the 2015 floods led to a framing contest which was heavily affected by the external political context at the time. The opposition and journalists constructed a narrative of government failure, not least by intertwining the event with the politically tense situation in the United Kingdom to further populist claims about government spending and EU policies. In 2005, the lack of a comparable external context and polarisation between actors in the media prevented a politicisation of the floods in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. These results illustrate the importance of broader political contexts, even those essentially unrelated to the natural hazard, for the politicisation of a disaster.
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| 2. |
- Armah, FA, et al.
(författare)
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Mapping of noise risk zones derived from religious activities and perceptions in residential neighbourhoods in the Cape Coast metropolis, Ghana
- 2010
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Ingår i: Environmental Hazards: Human and Policy Dimensions. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1747-7891. ; 9:4, s. 358-368
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ambient noise levels emanating from religious activities in residential neighbourhoods are an emerging environmental problem that educes little attention from enforcement agencies and policy makers in Ghana. This paper set out to quantify religious noise exposure in urban residential neighbourhoods in the Cape Coast metropolis of Ghana. Subjective annoyance levels of residents in selected communities were determined. Noise risk zones were mapped using ARCGIS 9.3 software and surface interpolation for the data was carried out using inverse distance weighting. The results show that most (77 and 86 per cent) of the locations recorded noise levels that were above the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency maximum permissible limit for day and night, respectively. Pearson's correlation coefficient for day and night noise exposure shows strong association (0.714) at the 0.01 level. There is variability in the levels of noise for both day and night, which are rather high (standard deviation = 7.59477 and 7.94022, respectively). Generally, levels of noise exposure correlated with levels of annoyance of residents, except that the highest noise exposure was not recorded in the community where the annoyance level of residents was highest. Residential neighbourhoods within the study area largely experienced safe to tolerable levels of religious noise, although 5 per cent were within the high-risk zone. Given that the selected residential areas have high population densities, even when the dispersion of noise risk is spatially limited, it affects a large number of people who belong to different socio-economic classes.
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| 3. |
- Berglez, Peter, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Extreme weather and climate change : social media results, 2008–2017
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Hazards. - London : Taylor & Francis. - 1747-7891 .- 1878-0059. ; 20:4, s. 382-399
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The link between extreme weather and climate change is being highlighted in ever more countries. Increased public understanding of this issue is essential for policymaking, both in terms of climate change mitigation and adaptation. As social media are becoming central to the exchange of information in society, the purpose is to analyze what generates intensified attention to the connection between extreme weather and climate change in digital communication. This is done by examining periods of intensified co-occurrence of mentions of extreme weather and climate change on English-language Twitter (N = 948,993). Our quantitative analysis suggests that during the period 2008–2017 the years 2010, 2011 and 2017 exhibit a considerable increase in ‘causality discourse’, i.e. tweets that articulate the topic of climate change + extreme weather, in comparison with earlier years. These periods of significant growth are interpreted as involving dynamic relationships between three factors, namely mediated highlighting of previous or ongoing extreme-weather events (extreme-event factor); connection of extreme weather to climate change by traditional media or other intermediaries (media-driven science communication factor); and actions of individual users (digital-action factor). Through a qualitative discourse analysis, how these factors jointly generate increasing attention to ‘causality discourse’ is more closely explored for the case of 2017.
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| 4. |
- Davidsson, Åsa
(författare)
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Can historic natural disturbances enable conservationopportunities? Evidence from the establishment of nationalparks in Sweden
- 2023
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Ingår i: Environmental Hazards. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1747-7891 .- 1878-0059.
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This study investigates conservation establishment and management in the context of Sweden's 30 national parks by conceptualising natural disturbances as focus events for conservation opportunities. Since positive effects on the environment manifest a long time after a natural disturbance, it may take time before society sees a need to conserve the natural area. To conceptualise such delayed responses to a focus event, the concept of a 'delayed window' is introduced. An analysis of Park Establishment Proposals from the Swedish Parliament for establishing and extending Sweden's national parks was conducted by sending a survey to county representatives for each national park (response rate 19/30). The results show that historic natural disturbances were mentioned as a motivating factor for establishing many of Sweden's 30 national parks (37%, i.e. 11 parks). The result suggests that the delayed window opens when biodiversity and Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) values of historic disturbance(s) become visible. The time span for motivating values is calculated for biodiversity values (18-829 years) and CES values (5-829 years). However, surveyed representatives responded that future disturbances may not be desired or only desired if controlled or limited, highlighting a paradox in terms of the perceived value of past and future disturbances.
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| 5. |
- Davis, Ian
(författare)
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Reducing disaster risks 1980-2010: Some reflections and speculations
- 2011
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Ingår i: Environmental Hazards: Human and Policy Dimensions. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1747-7891. ; 10:1, s. 80-92
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Through personal reflections on themes covering past experiences, the author considers selected experiences of disaster risk management (DRM) that span 30 years of DRM, and makes some speculations concerning the future, and ponders whether within the selected themes the future looks positive or negative. The observations begin with some memories of the Ocho Rios Conference: a multi disciplinary expedition to examine housing and hazards in Pakistan; issues concerning education and training; and finally the success of a massive reconstruction project of rural dwellings in Pakistan following the 2005 earthquake. Some key questions are considered: the value of community-based risk management; the reduction of short- or long-term risks; the protection of critical facilities; whose reality is being addressed? official neglect of education for DRM; the conditions needed to create highly effective safe reconstruction in rural Pakistan.
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| 6. |
- Davis, Ian
(författare)
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Reflections : Resolving conflicting demands within disaster risk and recovery
- 2016
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Ingår i: Environmental Hazards. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1747-7891 .- 1878-0059. ; 15:3, s. 269-278
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This ‘reflection’ describes conflicting experiences, drawn from the author’s career in varied aspects of disaster risk management and recovery (1973–2016) delving into his memory, Ian Davis explores conflicts he has felt in four parallel roles he has adopted as architect, NGO board member, academic and the personal challenges he has faced working within the humanitarian sector. After describing these encounters, some practical solutions are suggested. The reflection concludes with a suggestion that at the root of these conflicts there is a need for people working in the humanitarian field to become more accountable in a downward direction towards those they seek to serve, who often lack power and influence. These include an architect’s clients, the beneficiaries of an NGO’s concern, an academic’s students or trainees and more broadly an ethical challenge that the author strives after, to regard his work as a vocation, highlighting the need for service to others rather than self-promotion.
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| 7. |
- Koivisto, Jenni, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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A policymaking perspective on disaster risk reduction in Mozambique
- 2017
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Ingår i: Environmental hazards. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1464-2867 .- 1878-5697 .- 1747-7891 .- 1878-0059. ; 3, s. 210-227
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Academics and practitioners alike emphasise that public policy plays a key role to support efforts to reduce disaster risks and to buffer the impacts of natural hazards when they occur. This involves developing public policies to promote disaster risk reduction (DRR). However, the public policy dimension has only recently begun to receive attention in empirical research on DRR. Processes of policy change are discussed, yet less often studied, and more empirical research is needed to advance the understanding of the conditions for DRR policy change. Combining insights from adaptation research and public policy theory, this study investigates the long-term development of DRR policy in Mozambique as perceived by multiple stakeholders. The study identifies barriers and enabling factors influencing the DRR policy process over time. Using data from 37 semi-structured interviews, the study finds six main enabling factors supporting DRR policy change. Among the most important enabling factors are past disasters and broad stakeholder involvement. The study also unveils several barriers to DRR policy change, including resource insufficiency and lack of coordination among stakeholders. The study concludes with suggestions for integrating DRR and policy process research and lessons for policymaking in support of DRR over time.
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| 8. |
- Meriläinen, Eija, 1987-, et al.
(författare)
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Refocusing urban disaster governance on marginalised urban people through right to the city
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Hazards. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1747-7891 .- 1878-0059. ; 19:2, s. 187-208
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In contemporary neoliberal regimes, urban disaster governance typically emphasises resilience of cities and their inhabitants. Marginalised urban people, most vulnerable to disasters, are thereby expected to exhibit self-organisation. Yet cities tend to be (re)constructed for capital, prioritising exchange-value, while the use-value is comparatively under-prioritized. In order to conceptually refocus urban disaster governance on justice for and power of marginalised urban people, we define and discuss three conceptualizations of the Right to the City (RTTC) – institutionalised, Harveyan and neo-Lefebvrian. The institutionalised RTTC is congruent with neoliberal urban disaster governance, but the other two may be used to challenge this conceptualisation. Striving to reclaim decision-making over capital accumulation in the city, a Harveyan RTTC-inspired disaster governance would prioritise addressing the processes of urban marginalisation through democratisation, rather than focusing solely on preparedness for and response to hazards. In partial contrast, a neo-Lefebvrian RTTC-inspired disaster governance would be mainly focused on bottom-up efforts to protect and recover the use-value of the city, particularly for disaster-vulnerable populations. We conclude that a combination of the latter two conceptualizations, expressed through a struggle on multiple terrains involving local self-organisation, formal democratisation and mobilisation of global networks, could make possible a more socially just urban disaster governance.
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| 9. |
- Olsson, Eva-Karin
(författare)
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Responsibility framing in a 'climate change induced' compounded crisis : facing tragic choices in the Murray-Darling Basin
- 2009
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Ingår i: Environmental Hazards. - : Routledge. - 1747-7891 .- 1878-0059. ; 8:3, s. 226-240
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Crises impose vast demands on political leaders' communicative abilities in terms of explaining the causes of the problem at hand as well as showing a plausible way out of the situation. These challenges become even more complex in connection with climate change induced compounded crises. These crises touch upon a broad range of issues, such as economic, environmental, social and energy policies. Drawing upon previous research on political crisis communication, this article aims to examine political actors framing strategies in connection with compounded crises and how these are affected by the media context in which they are communicated. The study rests on a case study examining The Australian's reporting of the drought in the Murray-Darling Basin in terms of how various actor groups portrayed in the reporting framed crisis responsibility. The article ends by proposing propositions for further research on responsibility framing in climate change induced compounded crises.
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| 10. |
- Oriangi, George, et al.
(författare)
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Perceptions of resilience to climate-induced disasters in Mbale municipality in Uganda
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environmental Hazards. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1747-7891 .- 1878-0059. ; 20:2, s. 116-131
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Resilience has been raised as a core task within disaster risk reduction frameworks, yet it remains difficult to implement these global ideas in local communities. This study used Community Based Resilience Analysis Approach to investigate the components that are perceived as important in resilience and the extent to which these components have been achieved. It explored the trend of resilience and beneficial interventions for building resilience as perceived by interviewed participants in Mbale Municipality in Eastern Uganda. The study results indicate that access to education, healthcare, employment, peace and security were the most important components of resilience. Respondents perceived to have progressed in accessing credit, building productive farms and sustaining peace and security by July 2017. However, they assessed a lack of diverse income-generating activities, access to insurance, food security, employment and health care. Moreover, the study showed that respondents from marginalised parts of the municipality experienced decreasing resilience while respondents in other divisions had increased resilience. These results provide context-specific components of resilience by the local people. This can inform the formulation of resilience indices and bear relevance for policy-makers and practitioners to understand areas to invest more resources to achieve resilience.
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