Rivera Jofré, Felipe Andrés; (2023) Seismic Risk Governance in Chile: Challenges and opportunities for mainstreaming disaster justice. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Despite global efforts to reduce disaster risk, disaster-related losses continue to steadily rise and affect the vulnerable disproportionally more. Although earthquakes do not discriminate when they strike, seismic risk governance (SRG) determines the trajectories that people follow during and after the shaking. Chile has been historically successful in coping with earthquakes through seismically safe infrastructure, providing a technical solution to tackle disaster risk. However, this approach does not address the root causes of disasters, which lie in social vulnerability associated to unjust and unsustainable models of development and relationship with nature. Addressing the conceptual disagreement between problem and solution, the overarching research question of this thesis is how can SRG contribute to address the root causes of disasters and mainstreaming social justice in Chile? The research is qualitative and interdisciplinary. To characterise Chilean SRG, I conduct semi-structured interviews and a discussion group with experts from academia, industry, and public and third sectors. The limitations of the current SRG model are assessed through two case studies: a disaster reconstruction project and an urban socio-environmental conflict. Findings show that current challenges for SRG lie beyond engineered provision of seismic safety for individual structures, where earthquakes entwine with land use planning, disaster risk governance, and environmental management. Providing a more comprehensive approach, I propose adopting Disaster Justice, a claim for fair disaster risk governance by simultaneously pursuing equitable (re)distribution of disaster goods and bads (i.e., distributive justice), and fairness in decision-making processes (i.e., procedural justice). The proposed Disaster Justice framework is useful in providing a taxonomy and a language to describe socio-environmental injustices and enhance interdisciplinary, inter-stakeholder dialogue. This research shows the value and need for a more holistic approach to SRG aimed at reducing inequalities and pursuing more just risk landscapes.

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