Emergency management and sustainability: Understanding the link between disaster and citizen participation for sustainability efforts and climate change

Brian Don Williams

doi:10.5055/jem.0824

Authors

Brian Don Williams, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0356-3680

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.0824

Keywords:

sustainability, emergency management, disaster experience, public participation

Abstract

The goal of this study is to examine how disaster experience influences local government views on citizen participation in addressing issues of sustainability, such as climate change. This study considers concepts such as wicked problems, the social order, the environment, economic development, and citizen participation where sustainability can be considered a solution to help manage and solve the challenges of disaster, like climate change. The data are taken from a 2015 International City/County Management Association national survey that examines the link between disaster and sustainability. The results show that more than half of the respondents do not view public participation as having much of an impact on sustainability; however, we can expect public participation to increasingly impact sustainability efforts as communities experience more disaster. This suggests that emergency management needs to understand public pressures regarding wicked problems, such as climate change, to collectively address the global influence of environmental, economic, and social issues that have local effects on their communities.

Author Biography

Brian Don Williams, PhD

Department of Political Science, Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas

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