About
Nature does not cause disasters. A natural hazard can rapidly turn into a disaster when it encounters a community made vulnerable by unjust economic systems, environmental degradation and centuries of systemic racism. This talk by Brian G. McAdoo (Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University) will explore the nature of natural disasters by providing a framework in which we can understand the intersections of hazard and vulnerability in order to create more sustainable and just solutions. We will explore case studies in Nepal, Haiti and Madagascar.
Register to attend in-person or via Zoom.
Brian G. McAdoo is a disaster researcher and head of the PlanetLab in the Earth and Climate Science Division at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. The PlanetLab is interested in how humans are damaging the Earth's physical systems that support life on the planet and how the resulting disasters disproportionately impact marginalized communities. Current research projects apply a Planetary Health framework to understand how natural hazards interact with couple human-environment systems to improve health and well-being in Nepal (climate change, earthquakes, landslides and road development and health outcomes), Madagascar (deforestation, ecosystem services, disease exchange and community health) and the SE United States (extreme climate events impact on emergency services).
Part of the Climate Change, Decolonization, and Global Blackness (CCDGB) Speaker Series at the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute. The series is co-sponsored by the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability and the Nicholas School of the Environment.