Recognizing Justice in Flood Risk Management

Submission deadline: Monday, 31 July 2023

As protection against flood risks becomes increasingly difficult, dilemmas of justice emerge: some benefit from flood protection measures whereas others lose. Decisions on whom to protect differentiate between upstream and downstream or left and right side of a river. This raises a central but barely discussed conflict: what (or rather who) should be protected against inundations? This question deals in essence with justice.

Thaler and Hartmann (2016) link justice with the fairness in the allocation of resources, capital and wealth across different members of society. What we do in this special issue, is raise another question proceeding that one: are social inequalities recognized in flood risk policies? We think this question is relevant, as recognition is a first and important step in ensuring a (re)newed dialogue on social inequalities and how to contribute to more social justice. This special issue also aims to explain and identify reasons why social inequalities are or are not recognized in flood risk policies, in order to better understand and potentially find opportunities to increase recognition of (in)justices.

This special issue does not focus on flood protection alone, but on all strategies developed in flood risk management, including flood prevention and mitigation, flood preparedness and flood recovery, next to flood protection. On top, as responsibilities in flood risk management are not solely attributed to governments, we also address recognition of social injustices in flood policies by other stakeholders such as property owner associations. By opening it up, we underline the evolution from flood management to flood risk management and from government to governance initiatives in flood risk management.

This special issue brings together existing and newly developed knowledge on the topic. It contains references to published articles in the Journal of Flood Risk Management on the topics of justice, solidarity, equity, equality and integrates insights stemming from SOLSTICE’s JPI Climate project “SOLARIS – Solidarity in climate change adaptation policies” (2021-2024). On top, we welcome external contributions that deal with the recognition of social inequalities in flood risk governance. We are open for suggestions to study this topic at diverse analytical levels and diverse geographical scales.

Particularly in the context of dynamic climatic and socio-economic futures, insights on recognition justice are crucial for understanding and questioning the process and consequences of action/inaction in flood risk management. This is particularly important in the context of considering the future division of responsibilities for flood risk management and calls for more localised and community-based management (as discussed in Priest’s editorial of 2019). The collation of a special issue in the Journal of Flood Risk Management will provide the opportunity for the leading specialist journal in the field to offer a spotlight and open a forum for discussion of these often little talked about issues.

Topics for this call for papers include but not restricted to:

• Explain and identify reasons why social vulnerabilities and social inequalities are or are not recognized in flood risk policies and practice, in order to better understand and potentially find opportunities to increase recognition of (in)justices.

• Contributions that deal with the recognition of social vulnerabilities and social inequalities in flood risk governance at diverse analytical levels and diverse geographical scales.

• Contributions which may consider any of the strategies utilized in flood risk management, including flood prevention, flood protection (including defense), flood mitigation, flood preparedness and/or flood recovery.

• Address recognition of social vulnerabilities and social injustices in flood policies by other stakeholders such as property owner associations, local flood groups etc.

• Underline the evolution from flood management to flood risk management and from government to governance initiatives in flood risk management.

• May consider different conceptual notions of justice including solidarity, equity, fairness and equality.

Ann Crabbe

Faculty of Social Sciences of University of Antwerp/University of Antwerp’s Centre of Expertise on Environmental and Social Change (CRESC)

Belgium

Sally Priest

Flood Hazard Research Centre

Middlesex University

United Kingdom

Marie Fournier

National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts (Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers/CNAM)

France

Johan Munck af Rosenschöld

Finnish Environment Institute (Syke)

Finland