Socio-economic vulnerabilities to natural disasters and social justice

Other Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Gurtner, Yetta;King, David
Abstract

Climate change modeling predicts more extremes of hazardous weather conditions such as drought and bushfire through to periods of heavier rainfall and floods. Vulnerability to the impacts of floods has increased as a consequence of urbanization, changes in house design, land use, and climate change. The literature critiques the inequality of vulnerability as exemplified by socio-economic inequality, location in hazard prone areas, fragile infrastructure lifelines, environmental change, and development. International disaster risk reduction strategies have focused on building resilient communities in order to enhance strengths in social capital. Because vulnerability is structural in nature, governments and institutions have not tackled disaster vulnerability to the same extent as resilience. Consequently attempts to build hazard resilience of people, households, and communities are undermined by continuing vulnerability and inequality. The literature discusses the social justice and human rights issues that relate to vulnerability and which also undermine ecological sustainability. This chapter explores these issues through an examination of the impacts of severe monsoonal floods in Townsville, Queensland during the early part of 2019. The community impact of this flood demonstrates complex issues of vulnerability. Twelve months after the event many households have not recovered.

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Economic Effects of Natural Disasters: theoretical foundations, methods, and tools

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ISBN/ISSN

978-0-12-8174654

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Pages Count

17

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Academic Press, an imprint of Elsevier

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Publisher Location

London, UK

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DOI

10.1016/B978-0-12-817465-4.00029-7