Skip to main content

The Emerging Imperative of Disaster Justice

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Natural Hazards and Disaster Justice

Abstract

Disaster justice is relevant to all phases of the PPRR (Prevention—Preparedness—Response—Recovery) spectrum and is concerned with the interplay of distributive and procedural dimensions of justice. In this chapter, I have outlined four attributes that, taken together, delineate disaster justice into a distinct concept. These attributes include the fact that disaster management is a moral obligation due to the Anthropocene, that the political nature of disaster governance is critical in understanding disaster management, that vulnerability to disasters is rooted in everyday inequality, and that this focus on governance emphasises the importance of recognition and empowerment of those affected by disasters.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Australian dollars in 2013 prices.

  2. 2.

    This figure is an evolution of the justice typology found in Lukasiewicz (2017a).

References

  • Agyeman, J., Bullard, R. D., & Evans, B. (Eds.). (2003). Just Sustainabilities: Development in an Unequal World. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen, B. L. (2007). Environmental Justice, Local Knowledge, and After-Disaster Planning in New Orleans. Technology in Society, 29, 153–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Althor, G., Watson, J. E. M., & Fuller, R. A. (2016). Global Mismatch Between Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the Burden of Climate Change [Article]. Scientific Reports, 6, 20281. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep20281., https://www.nature.com/articles/srep20281#supplementary-information

  • Bankoff, G. (2018). Blame, Responsibility and Agency: ‘Disaster Justice’ and the State in the Philippines. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 1(3).

    Google Scholar 

  • Bullard, R. D., & Wright, B. (2008). Disastrous Response to Natural and Man-Made Disasters: An Environmental Justice Analysis 25 Years after Warren County. Journal of Environmental Law, 26, 217–253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bullard, R. D., & Wright, B. (Eds.). (2009). Race, Place, and Environmental Justice After Hurricane Katrina: Struggles to Reclaim, Rebuild, and Revitalize New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bull-Kamanga, L., Diagne, K., Lavell, A., Leon, E., Lerise, F., MacGregor, H., … Yitambe, A. (2003). From Everyday Hazards to Disasters: The Accumulation of Risk in Urban Areas. Environment & Urbanization, 15, 1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caney, S. (2014). Two Kinds of Climate Justice: Avoiding Harm and Sharing Burdens. The Journal of Political Philosophy, 22(2), 125–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, N., Chhotray, V., & Few, R. (2013). Global Justice and Disasters. The Geographical Journal, 179(2), 105–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colten, C. E. (2007). Environmental Justice in a Landscape of Tragedy. Technology in Society, 29, 173–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cutter, S. L. (2017). The Forgotten Casualties Redux: Women, Children, and Disaster Risk. Global Environmental Change, 42(42), 117–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, J., Moulton, A. A., Van Sant, L., & Williams, B. (2019). Anthropocene, Capitalocene, … Plantationocene?: A Manifesto for Ecological Justice in an Age of Global Crises. Geography Compass, 13(5), e12438.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dellink, R., den Elzen, M., Aiking, H., Bergsma, E., Berkhout, F., Dekker, T., & Gupta, J. (2009). Sharing the Burden of Financing Adaptation to Climate Change. Global Environmental Change, 19(4), 411–421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2009.07.009

  • Deutsch, M. (1985). Distributive Justice: A Social Psychological Perspective. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglass, M., & Miller, M. A. (2018). Disaster Justice in Asia’s Urbanising Anthropocene. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 1(3), 271–287.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drake, P. (2018). Emergent Injustices: An Evolution of Disaster Justice in Indonesia’s Mud Volcano. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 1(3), 307–322.

    Google Scholar 

  • Figueroa, P. M. (2018). Issues of Disaster Justice Affecting the Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 1(3), 404–421. https://doi.org/10.1177/2514848618790894

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finger, D. (2014). 50 Years After the ‘War on Poverty’: Evaluating the Justice Gap in the Post-Disaster Context. Boston College Journal of Law & Social Justice, 34, 267–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glassey, S. (2018). Did Harvey Learn from Katrina? Initial Observations of the Response to Companion Animals During Hurricane Harvey. Animals, 8(4), 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani8040047

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gross, C. (2010). Water Under the Bridge: Fairness and Justice in Environmental Decision-Making. PhD, Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Australian National University, Canberra.

    Google Scholar 

  • Handmer, J., Ladds, M., & Magee, L. (2018). Updating the Costs of Disasters in Australia. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 33(2), 40–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hiller, A. (2011). Climate Change and Individual Responsibility. Monist, 94(3), 349–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC. (2012). Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation. In F. e. a. (Eds.), (p. 582). Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA. A Special Report of Working Groups I and II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lauta, K. C. (2015). Disaster Law. London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, S. L., & Maslin, M. A. (2015). Defining the Anthropocene. Nature, 519, 171–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lukasiewicz, A. (2017a). Environment and Justice: Defining the Field. In A. Lukasiewicz, S. Dovers, L. Robin, J. McKay, S. Schilizzi, & S. Graham (Eds.), Natural Resources and Environmental Justice: Australian Perspectives (pp. 1–11). Clayton, VIC: CSIRO Publishing.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Lukasiewicz, A. (2017b). The Social Justice Framework: Untangling the Maze of Justice Complexities. In A. Lukasiewicz & S. Dovers (Eds.), Natural Resources and Environmental Justice: Australian Perspectives (pp. 233–251). Clayton, VIC: CSIRO Publishing.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Lukasiewicz, A., Dovers, S., & Eburn, M. (2017). Shared Responsibility: The Who, What and How. Environmental Hazards, 16(4), 291–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/17477891.2017.1298510

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLennan, B., & Eburn, M. (2015). Exposing Hidden-Value Trade-Offs: Sharing Wildfire Management Responsibility Between Government and Citizens. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 24, 162–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Munang, R., Thiaw, I., Alverson, K., Mumba, M., Liu, J., & Rivington, M. (2013). Climate Change and Ecosystem-Based Adaptation: A New Pragmatic Approach to Buffering Climate Change Impacts. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 5(1), 67–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nixon, R. (2011). Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor. Cambridge, MA and London: Harvard University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connell, D., Wise, R. M., Williams, R., Grigg, N., Meharg, S., Dunlop, M., … Crosweller, M. (2018). Approach, Methods and Results for Co-producing a Systems Understanding of Disaster. Technical Report Supporting the Development of the Australian Vulnerability Profile.

    Google Scholar 

  • OCHA. (2019). Global Humanitarian Overview. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Retrieved from https://www.unocha.org/sites/unocha/files/GHO2019.pdf

  • Parthasarathy, D. (2018). Inequality, Uncertainty, and Vulnerability: Rethinking Governance from a Disaster Justice Perspective. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 1(3), 422–442. https://doi.org/10.1177/2514848618802554

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patrick, M. J. (2014). The Cycles and Spirals of Justice in Water-Allocation Decision Making. Water International, 39(1), 63–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry, R. W., & Quarantelli, E. L. (Eds.). (2005). What Is a Disaster? New Answers to Old Questions. Philadelphia: Xlibris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pescaroli, G., & Alexander, D. (2015). A Definition of Cascading Disasters and Cascading Effects: Going Beyond the ‘Toppling Dominos’ Metaphor. Planet@Risk, 3(1), 58–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rawls, J. (1971). A Theory of Justice. London: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riley, J. (2010). Justice as Higher Pleasure. In G. Varouxakis & P. Kelly (Eds.), John Stuart Mill—Thought and Influence: The Saint of Rationalism. Oxon & New York: Routledge Innovations in Political Theory.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rumbach, A., & Németh, J. (2018). Disaster Risk Creation in the Darjeeling Himalayas: Moving Toward Justice. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 1(3), 340–362. https://doi.org/10.1177/2514848618792821

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandel, M. J. (2009). Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? New York: Farrer, Straus and Giroux.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandel, M. J. (2011). Distinguished Lecture Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? Boston University Law Review, 91(4), 1303–1310.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarat, A., & Kearns, T. R. (Eds.). (1996). Justice and Injustice in Law and Legal Theory. Michigan: University of Michigan Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlosberg, D. (2013). Theorising Environmental Justice: The Expanding Sphere of a Discourse. Environmental Politics, 22(1), 37–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A. (2009). The Idea of Justice. London, UK: Penguin Books.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Shiva, V. (2015). Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis. Berkley, CA: North Atlantic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shreshta, K. K., Bhattarai, B., Ojha, H. R., & Bajracharya, A. (2019). Disaster Justice in Nepal’s Earthquake Recovery. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 33, 207–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Syme, G. J., & Nancarrow, B. E. (2001). Social Justice and Environmental Management: An Introduction. Social Justice Research, 14(4), 343–347. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014628827223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Temper, L. (2019). Blocking Pipelines, Unsettling Environmental Justice: From Rights of Nature to Responsibility to Territory. Local Environment, 24(2), 94–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNISDR. (2015). Making Development Sustainable: The Future of Disaster Risk Management. Geneva, Switzerland: Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valentini, L. (2013). Justice, Charity, and Disaster Relief: What, If Anything, Is Owed to Haiti, Japan, and New Zealand? American Journal of Political Science, 57(2), 491–503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vance, S. S. (2008). Justice After Disaster-What Hurricane Katrina Did to the Justice System in New Orleans. Howard Law Journal, 51(3), 621–649.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verchick, R. (2012). Disaster Justice: The Geography of Human Capability. Duke Environmental Law and Policy Forum, 23, 23–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verchick, R. (2016, November 18–19). Diamond in the Rough: One City’s Quest for Disaster Justice. Paper Presented at the Disaster Justice in Anthropocene Asia and the Pacific, Singapore.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verchick, R. (2018). Diamond in the Rough: Pursuing Disaster Justice in Surat, India. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 1(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2514848618797338

  • van Voorst, R. (2014). The Right to Aid: Perceptions and Practices of Justice in a Flood-Hazard Context in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, 15(4), 339–356. https://doi.org/10.1080/14442213.2014.916340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wallemacq, P., & House, R. (2018). Economic Losses, Poverty & Disasters 1998–2017. Technical Report by UNISDR and CRED.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weibgen, A. A. (2015). The Right to Be Rescued: Disability Justice in an Age of Disaster. The Yale Law Journal, 124(7), 2202–2679.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, F. (2018). The Politics of Disaster: The Great Singapore Flood of 1954. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 1(3), 323–339. https://doi.org/10.1177/2514848618776872

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ziegler, S. S., & Kaplan, H. D. (2019). Forum on the Anthropocene. Geographical Review, 109(2), 249–251. https://doi.org/10.1111/gere.12336

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anna Lukasiewicz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Lukasiewicz, A. (2020). The Emerging Imperative of Disaster Justice. In: Lukasiewicz, A., Baldwin, C. (eds) Natural Hazards and Disaster Justice. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0466-2_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0466-2_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-15-0465-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-15-0466-2

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics