Beyond disaster vulnerabilities: An empirical investigation of the causal pathways linking conflict to disaster risks

Peters, Laura E. R.

doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102092

Cited by 33 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Where disasters occur in conflict-affected contexts, conflicts thus also contribute to the root and proximate causes of disasters (Peters, 2019(Peters, , 2021Wisner et al, 2004), suggesting that the relationship between disasters and conflicts is complex and may be reinforced through disaster and conflict…”

Section: Theorising the Disaster-conflict Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disasters as Ambivalent Multipliers: Influencing the Pathways from Disaster to Conflict Risk and Peace Potential Through Disaster Risk Reduction

Peters

2022

Journal of Peacebuilding & Development

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Disasters, including disaster-related activities, have been shown to precipitate, intensify, and lengthen violent conflicts, yet disasters have also demonstrated the potential to reduce violent conflict, encourage cooperation, and build peace. Disaster-conflict and disaster-peace literature has sought to establish causal and linear relationships, but research has not explored with the same rigour the causal mechanisms linking these phenomena in long-term processes of social-political change and how they are influenced by human actions and inactions. This research fills this gap by drawing on in-depth interviews with disaster risk reduction (DRR) professionals in 25 disaster- and conflict-affected countries in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa to analyse the pathways leading from disasters and disaster-related activities to violent conflict and peace. The findings highlight how these pathways can be deliberately swayed toward peace potential through DRR.

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Section: Theorising the Disaster-conflict Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disasters as Ambivalent Multipliers: Influencing the Pathways from Disaster to Conflict Risk and Peace Potential Through Disaster Risk Reduction

Peters

2022

Journal of Peacebuilding & Development

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“…In conflict-affected areas, immediate needs, protection, peacebuilding, and stabilization actions are prioritized, while responsibilities for promoting disaster risk reduction (DRR) are frequently neglected [ 61 , 70 ]. Acting ahead of predictable climate-related hazards is often not a priority [ 70 ] and conflict-affected states have difficulty implementing basic early warning systems (EWS) [ 28 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change adaptation in conflict-affected countries: A systematic assessment of evidence

Sitati¹,

Joe

Pentz

et al. 2021

Discov Sustain

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People affected by conflict are particularly vulnerable to climate shocks and climate change, yet little is known about climate change adaptation in fragile contexts. While climate events are one of the many contributing drivers of conflict, feedback from conflict increases vulnerability, thereby creating conditions for a vicious cycle of conflict. In this study, we carry out a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature, taking from the Global Adaptation Mapping Initiative (GAMI) dataset to documenting climate change adaptation occurring in 15 conflict-affected countries and compare the findings with records of climate adaptation finance flows and climate-related disasters in each country. Academic literature is sparse for most conflict-affected countries, and available studies tend to have a narrow focus, particularly on agriculture-related adaptation in rural contexts and adaptation by low-income actors. In contrast, multilateral and bilateral funding for climate change adaptation addresses a greater diversity of adaptation needs, including water systems, humanitarian programming, and urban areas. Even among the conflict-affected countries selected, we find disparity, with several countries being the focus of substantial research and funding, and others seeing little to none. Results indicate that people in conflict-affected contexts are adapting to climate change, but there is a pressing need for diverse scholarship across various sectors that documents a broader range of adaptation types and their results.

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“…DRC refers to actions that "increase, or fail to decrease vulnerability" or that "actively or inertially stymie or constrain [disaster risk reduction] efforts" (Lewis and Kelman, 2012). Exacerbating hazards, increasing exposure, deepening vulnerability and reducing coping capacity are all ways that disaster risk is created (Peters, 2021), but the specific pathways for those acts of creation are varied and complex. Lewis and Kelman (2012), for instance, highlight seven mechanisms: environmental degradation; discrimination; displacement; self-seeking public expenditure; denial of access to resources; corruption and siphoning of public money.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Others focus on cases. Peters (2021) focuses on the links between disasters and conflict and Wisner and Lavell (2017) on large-scale megaprojects. What unifies this work is an understanding of risk as socially constructed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When disaster management agencies create disaster risk: a case study of the US's Federal Emergency Management Agency

Clark‐Ginsberg

Easton-Calabria

Patel

et al. 2021

DPM

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PurposeDisaster management agencies are mandated to reduce risk for the populations that they serve. Yet, inequities in how they function may result in their activities creating disaster risk, particularly for already vulnerable and marginalized populations. In this article, how disaster management agencies create disaster risk for vulnerable and marginalized groups is examined, seeking to show the ways existing policies affect communities, and provide recommendations on policy and future research.Design/methodology/approachThe authors undertook a systematic review of the US disaster management agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), examining its programs through a lens of equity to understand how they shape disaster risk.FindingsDespite a growing commitment to equity within FEMA, procedural, distributive, and contextual inequities result in interventions that perpetuate and amplify disaster risk for vulnerable and marginalized populations. Some of these inequities could be remediated by shifting toward a more bottom-up approach to disaster management, such as community-based disaster risk reduction approaches.Practical implicationsDisaster management agencies and other organizations can use the results of this study to better understand how to devise interventions in ways that limit risk creation for vulnerable populations, including through community-based approaches.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine disaster risk creation from an organizational perspective, and the first to focus explicitly on how disaster management agencies can shape risk creation. This helps understand the linkages between disaster risk creation, equity and organizations.

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Beyond disaster vulnerabilities: An empirical investigation of the causal pathways linking conflict to disaster risks

Cited by 33 publications

References 58 publications

Disasters as Ambivalent Multipliers: Influencing the Pathways from Disaster to Conflict Risk and Peace Potential Through Disaster Risk Reduction

Disasters as Ambivalent Multipliers: Influencing the Pathways from Disaster to Conflict Risk and Peace Potential Through Disaster Risk Reduction

Climate change adaptation in conflict-affected countries: A systematic assessment of evidence

When disaster management agencies create disaster risk: a case study of the US's Federal Emergency Management Agency

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