Stefan Greiving
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781447323587
- eISBN:
- 9781447323617
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447323587.003.0017
- Subject:
- Earth Sciences and Geography, Urban Geography
Decisions in the area of natural hazards are normally based on probabilities. However, the baseline trend is evolving due to climate change and other changing processes (demographic change, ...
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Decisions in the area of natural hazards are normally based on probabilities. However, the baseline trend is evolving due to climate change and other changing processes (demographic change, globalization etc.). In parallel, during the last years, the understanding of the role of government has been changed from a traditional approach where the state itself provides all kinds of public services to a model, which is characterized mainly by private services, while the state only guarantees the quality of those services that are of public interest. Thus, societies go from a “predict-and-control” type of governance systems to a more reflexive and adaptive practice of disaster risk management. The main aim of this chapter is to understand the extent to which present governance systems are capable of managing deep uncertainty related to future disasters, as well as to develop proposals and strategies to strengthen this response capacity.Less
Decisions in the area of natural hazards are normally based on probabilities. However, the baseline trend is evolving due to climate change and other changing processes (demographic change, globalization etc.). In parallel, during the last years, the understanding of the role of government has been changed from a traditional approach where the state itself provides all kinds of public services to a model, which is characterized mainly by private services, while the state only guarantees the quality of those services that are of public interest. Thus, societies go from a “predict-and-control” type of governance systems to a more reflexive and adaptive practice of disaster risk management. The main aim of this chapter is to understand the extent to which present governance systems are capable of managing deep uncertainty related to future disasters, as well as to develop proposals and strategies to strengthen this response capacity.
Christine A. Klein and Sandra B. Zellmer
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781479825387
- eISBN:
- 9781479807475
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479825387.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Legal History
American engineers have done astounding things to bend the Mississippi River to their will: forcing one of its tributaries to flow uphill, transforming over a thousand miles of roiling currents into ...
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American engineers have done astounding things to bend the Mississippi River to their will: forcing one of its tributaries to flow uphill, transforming over a thousand miles of roiling currents into a placid staircase of water, and wresting the lower half of the river apart from its floodplain. American law has aided and abetted these feats. But despite best efforts, so-called “natural disasters” continue to strike the Mississippi basin, as raging floodwaters decimate waterfront communities and abandoned towns literally crumble into the Gulf of Mexico. In some places, only the tombstones remain, leaning at odd angles as the underlying soil erodes away. This book reveals that it is seductively deceptive—but horribly misleading—to call such catastrophes “natural.” It presents a sympathetic account of the human dreams, pride, and foibles that got us to this point, weaving together engaging historical narratives and accessible law stories drawn from actual courtroom dramas. The book uncovers the larger story of how the law reflects and even amplifies our ambivalent attitude toward nature—simultaneously revering wild rivers and places for what they are, while working feverishly to change them into something else. Despite the sobering revelations, the book's final message is one of hope. Although the acknowledgement of human responsibility for unnatural disasters can lead to blame, guilt, and liability, it can also prod us to confront the consequences of our actions, leading to a liberating sense of possibility and to the knowledge necessary to avoid future disasters.Less
American engineers have done astounding things to bend the Mississippi River to their will: forcing one of its tributaries to flow uphill, transforming over a thousand miles of roiling currents into a placid staircase of water, and wresting the lower half of the river apart from its floodplain. American law has aided and abetted these feats. But despite best efforts, so-called “natural disasters” continue to strike the Mississippi basin, as raging floodwaters decimate waterfront communities and abandoned towns literally crumble into the Gulf of Mexico. In some places, only the tombstones remain, leaning at odd angles as the underlying soil erodes away. This book reveals that it is seductively deceptive—but horribly misleading—to call such catastrophes “natural.” It presents a sympathetic account of the human dreams, pride, and foibles that got us to this point, weaving together engaging historical narratives and accessible law stories drawn from actual courtroom dramas. The book uncovers the larger story of how the law reflects and even amplifies our ambivalent attitude toward nature—simultaneously revering wild rivers and places for what they are, while working feverishly to change them into something else. Despite the sobering revelations, the book's final message is one of hope. Although the acknowledgement of human responsibility for unnatural disasters can lead to blame, guilt, and liability, it can also prod us to confront the consequences of our actions, leading to a liberating sense of possibility and to the knowledge necessary to avoid future disasters.
