This Research Topic aims to collate one of the first studies that centre on disaster justice in disaster, natural hazards, and risk research. Disaster justice, an emerging research area in the field of disaster management, describes the fair treatment of all people in policies and management processes relevant to catastrophic hazards. The concept highlights three justice lenses - distributive, procedural, and recognition justice. Distributive justice concentrates on how harm and benefits are distributed and experienced. Procedural justice emphasizes the importance of an inclusive decision-making process that incorporates frontline communities, such as Indigenous, traditional, minority, and poor communities, for governing the global environment. Recognition justice emphasizes how people are accommodated, and their cultural practices, identities, and knowledge systems are respected in disaster risk management. This collection maps the incorporation of disaster justice in disaster studies including floods, droughts, wildfires, and other natural hazards.
Conventional disaster studies assessing risks and vulnerability tend to emphasize the disparate impacts of disasters and their burden on people. In particular, such studies show that people with low socioeconomic status are likely to be most impacted by disasters – homelessness, injuries, financial losses, discrimination in aid distribution, and post-disaster trauma. Examining the disproportionate impacts of disasters on vulnerable people highlights the unjust process of disaster risk creation, exhibiting power relations over political and economic decision-making. Disaster justice, coined by Verchick (2012) and elaborated by Lukasiewicz (2020), centres this unjust process throughout the stages of disaster risk management and incorporates three domains – accountability in resource distribution, representation of different voices, and recognition of different knowledge forms. These domains corroborate with the three disaster justice lenses - distributive, procedural, and recognition justice.
The papers in this collection will examine and assess the incorporation of disaster justice in disaster studies. This includes studies that centre on justice and equity in disaster risk communication/early warning systems.
This Research Topic will map natural hazards and disaster studies that centre on justice or equity. Potential themes include:
1. Natural hazards - droughts, floods, mudslides, and wildfires, among others- that highlight differential vulnerabilities and disproportionate exposures to disaster impacts and risks;
2. Compound and multi-hazard that incorporates or advances one or more domains of disaster justice - distributive, procedural, and recognition justice. This includes but is not limited to assessing impacts of compound and multi-hazard, disaster risk governance, and creation and reproduction of disaster risk;
3. Policy implications of disaster justice integration;
4. Studies taking stock or advancing justice considerations in the phases of disaster risk management - prevention, preparation, response and recovery;
5. Stocktaking of methods that advance disaster justice considerations in natural hazards and disaster risk research.
The final collection of papers has the potential to significantly impact the broader discourse on equitable and just approaches to addressing natural hazards and disaster risks. Authors willing to submit papers on related-topical areas not covered in this collection are encouraged to contact the editors. Your contributions are vital in expanding the discourse on disaster justice in disaster studies.
Keywords:
Disaster Justice, Natural hazards, Disaster risk management, Compound and multi-hazard, Risk governance, Early warning systems, Equity
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
This Research Topic aims to collate one of the first studies that centre on disaster justice in disaster, natural hazards, and risk research. Disaster justice, an emerging research area in the field of disaster management, describes the fair treatment of all people in policies and management processes relevant to catastrophic hazards. The concept highlights three justice lenses - distributive, procedural, and recognition justice. Distributive justice concentrates on how harm and benefits are distributed and experienced. Procedural justice emphasizes the importance of an inclusive decision-making process that incorporates frontline communities, such as Indigenous, traditional, minority, and poor communities, for governing the global environment. Recognition justice emphasizes how people are accommodated, and their cultural practices, identities, and knowledge systems are respected in disaster risk management. This collection maps the incorporation of disaster justice in disaster studies including floods, droughts, wildfires, and other natural hazards.
Conventional disaster studies assessing risks and vulnerability tend to emphasize the disparate impacts of disasters and their burden on people. In particular, such studies show that people with low socioeconomic status are likely to be most impacted by disasters – homelessness, injuries, financial losses, discrimination in aid distribution, and post-disaster trauma. Examining the disproportionate impacts of disasters on vulnerable people highlights the unjust process of disaster risk creation, exhibiting power relations over political and economic decision-making. Disaster justice, coined by Verchick (2012) and elaborated by Lukasiewicz (2020), centres this unjust process throughout the stages of disaster risk management and incorporates three domains – accountability in resource distribution, representation of different voices, and recognition of different knowledge forms. These domains corroborate with the three disaster justice lenses - distributive, procedural, and recognition justice.
The papers in this collection will examine and assess the incorporation of disaster justice in disaster studies. This includes studies that centre on justice and equity in disaster risk communication/early warning systems.
This Research Topic will map natural hazards and disaster studies that centre on justice or equity. Potential themes include:
1. Natural hazards - droughts, floods, mudslides, and wildfires, among others- that highlight differential vulnerabilities and disproportionate exposures to disaster impacts and risks;
2. Compound and multi-hazard that incorporates or advances one or more domains of disaster justice - distributive, procedural, and recognition justice. This includes but is not limited to assessing impacts of compound and multi-hazard, disaster risk governance, and creation and reproduction of disaster risk;
3. Policy implications of disaster justice integration;
4. Studies taking stock or advancing justice considerations in the phases of disaster risk management - prevention, preparation, response and recovery;
5. Stocktaking of methods that advance disaster justice considerations in natural hazards and disaster risk research.
The final collection of papers has the potential to significantly impact the broader discourse on equitable and just approaches to addressing natural hazards and disaster risks. Authors willing to submit papers on related-topical areas not covered in this collection are encouraged to contact the editors. Your contributions are vital in expanding the discourse on disaster justice in disaster studies.
Keywords:
Disaster Justice, Natural hazards, Disaster risk management, Compound and multi-hazard, Risk governance, Early warning systems, Equity
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.