Conceptualizing Cold Disasters:Disaster Risk Governance at the Arctic Edge

• Published in: International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
• Main Authors: Lauta, Kristian Cedervall, Vendelø, Morten Thanning, Sørensen, Birgitte Refslund, Dahlberg, Rasmus
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Arctic; Greenland; greenlandic
• Online Access: https://pure.fak.dk/da/publications/conceptualizing-cold-disasters(84601a45-c178-40c5-be1b-b54b367f6383).html; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.12.011

In the present article, we explore in more depth the particular circumstances and characteristics of governing what we call ‘cold disasters’, and thereby, the paper sets out to investigate how disasters in cold contexts distinguish themselves from other disasters, and what the implications hereof are for the conceptualization and governance of cold disasters. Hence, the paper can also be viewed as a response to Alexander’s (2012a) recent call for new theory in the field of disaster risk reduction. The article is structured in four overall parts. The first part, Cold Context, provides an overview of the specific conditions in a cold context, exemplified by the Arctic, and zooms in on Greenland to provide more specific background for the paper. The second part, Disasters in Cold Contexts, discusses “cold disasters” in relation to disaster theory, in order to, elucidate how cold disasters challenge existing understandings of disasters. Also it provides examples of emergency scenarios, in order to, demonstrate the demanding dynamics of cold contexts. In the third part, Governing Cold Disasters, we discuss the main implications for the governance of “cold disasters” in Greenlandic context. Finally, we offer our conclusions.