Research pick: Managing the climate disaster - "Examining the transition of natural disaster management for climate change"

Researchers in South Korea discuss how we must adapt our approaches to disaster management to help us cope with the potentially devastating effects of climate change. Writing in the International Journal of Business Continuity and Risk Management, the team uses qualitative content analysis to describe and analyse the three levels of natural disaster management. These three levels – international, national, and local – are considered in the context of three proposed stages of climate change – before climate change, the first half, and the second half.

Kyong-Jin Park of Daegu Haany University in Gyeongsan City, Bong-Woo Lee of Seoul Digital University in Seoul, and Kyoo-Man Ha of Inje University in Gimhae City explain that all “stakeholders” the world over need to address international cooperation, sustainability, education, and training for survival. Their work suggests a history and a chronology where management from 1951 to 1990 was provincial, the period 1991 to 2040 will be seen as patriotic, but the period 2041 to 2100 will be the period of survival-oriented management.

The team alludes to the fact that while there may be denialism and ignorance about climate change, the truth is out there. Moreover, given that we are all culpable, we must all now play our role in the disaster management that is needed if we are to mitigate the impact of climate change on our lives, the lives of future generations, and indeed the future of life on earth. There is an ethical obligation on all of us and on all governments.

As they say, there is no Planet B, we have to work to protect and fix this one before it is too late. Lifestyle changes must take place from the local up to the national and then international level. Climate change is not a natural disaster but it will be disastrous for nature and ourselves unless we have the collective will to address the problems and manage them.

Park, K-J., Lee, B-W. and Ha, K-M. (2022) ‘Examining the transition of natural disaster management for climate change’, Int. J. Business Continuity and Risk Management, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp.116–130.