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Advancing Disaster and Conflict Risk Reduction

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Climate Change, Disasters, Sustainability Transition and Peace in the Anthropocene

Part of the book series: The Anthropocene: Politik—Economics—Society—Science ((APESS,volume 25))

Abstract

Enabling human survivability and improving quality of life for future generations requires reducing the risk of conflicts, destitution and environmental crises. A more integrated Disaster and Conflict Risk Reduction (DCRR) framework provides conceptual advances for better understanding, assessment, management and governance of risk and sustainability. This synthesis for sustainability and peace emphasises early warning, rights based and resilience perspectives that build cross-cutting theoretical, policy and practice imperatives in advancing DCRR. Derived DCRR systematics include (i) building up earlier human well-being that offsets negative risk, (ii) living better with uncertainty and (iii) overcoming political, behavioural and technical barriers in disaster and conflict risk transitioning.

Prof. Dr. Andrew E. Collins, Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences / Disaster and Development Network (DDN), Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, NE18ST. Email: andrew.collins@northumbria.ac.uk.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The world’s first centre of international postgraduate studies in combined disaster management and sustainable development was developed at Northumbria University, United Kingdom in the late 1990s. Its first intake of students started during Millennium year 2000 and continues annually to date.

  2. 2.

    Build back better dates back to writings such as Monday (2002) but is now also risen to prominence as the fourth of the priorities of the SFDRR (2015–2030).

  3. 3.

    “Scorched Earth” is an approach used in conflicts to hold up enemy approaches by destroying the resource base upon which their advances depend upon to survive – hence Napoleon’s advance on Russia failed when food supplies and most of the infrastructure was destroyed by the retreating armies of imperial Russia, urban areas in modern day conflicts get land mined, and entire areas may be forcefully polluted by exploded oil wells.

  4. 4.

    An early version of the chapter formed a part of the 2016 International Peace Research Association (IPRA) and Dealing with Disasters Conference (DwD) at Freetown, Sierra Leone Nov 27th–Dec 1st 2016.

  5. 5.

    Goal of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction – “Prevent new and reduce existing disaster risk through the implementation of integrated and inclusive economic, structural, legal, social, health, cultural, educational, environmental, technological, political and institutional measures that prevent and reduce hazard exposure and vulnerability to disaster, increase preparedness for response and recovery, and thus strengthen resilience.” (UNISDR 2015, Clause 17, p. 12).

  6. 6.

    For example, in the Cloud of Unknowing, a text written by a late 14th Century Christian Mystic it suggested to surrender one’s mind and ego to the realm of unknowing, at which point, one may begin to glimpse the nature of God.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences / Disaster and Development Network (DDN), Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    Andrew E. Collins

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  1. Andrew E. Collins
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Correspondence to Andrew E. Collins .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Peace Research and European Security Studies (AFES-PRESS), Mosbach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

    Hans Günter Brauch

  2. Centre for Regional Multidisciplinary Research (CRIM), National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

    Úrsula Oswald Spring

  3. Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    Andrew E. Collins

  4. Centre for Regional Multidisciplinary Research (CRIM), National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

    Serena Eréndira Serrano Oswald

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Collins, A.E. (2019). Advancing Disaster and Conflict Risk Reduction. In: Brauch, H., Oswald Spring, Ú., Collins, A., Serrano Oswald, S. (eds) Climate Change, Disasters, Sustainability Transition and Peace in the Anthropocene. The Anthropocene: Politik—Economics—Society—Science, vol 25. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97562-7_2

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