STOWA: societal disruption
Societal disruption can arise from the physical and socio-cultural consequences of extreme weather events. Climate change will cause extreme weather events to occur more frequently and in quicker succession in the future, increasing the risk of disruption. However, there is still insufficient insight into what the disruptive factors exactly are, when they may occur and what can be done about them. Together with STOWA, &flux is therefore working towards a research programme on societal disruption with a focus on social and societal aspects. The aim is knowledge development for both the challenge and the perspective for action.
De opgave van voldoende drinkwater
Motive
STOWA is in need of a concrete interpretation of the theme of ‘Consequences of a disruptive climate event on the city’ for its upcoming research programme. Societal disruption is usually associated with large-scale disasters such as a dike breach or extreme rainfall, in which a large area is flooded in a short period of time. However, there are also other climate effects that can cause disruption such as very prolonged rainfall or long periods of drought. Both the (disruptive) effects and the perspectives for action are still insufficiently understood. The elaboration of this issue is important in order to achieve a robust and liveable Netherlands in times of greater climate extremes.
What are we going to do?
As facilitators, we are going to (1) identify knowledge gaps as well as opportunities for collaboration and research, (2) define possible research projects, and then (3) develop a research programme.
- Inventory
During the inventory, we will look at what we already know in order to pinpoint where the knowledge gaps really lie. We will also look at suitable cases to learn from and potential collaboration partners to bundle available knowledge.
2. Definition of possible research projects
To define possible research projects, we engage in dialogue with potential partners. Together, we explore possible research questions and how these can be linked to cases and partners. This also clarifies where demand is lower. This ensures a well-supported research
3. Development
We will elaborate on the most promising research projects in the development of the research programme.
Content frameworks
We use a number of content frameworks to work towards issues for impact mitigation that are still underexposed: The focus is on long-term events, such as prolonged rainfall that overloads the water drainage system, or long periods of drought with a shortage of fresh water to meet the demand.
- The social sphere
Although various studies and projects are already underway on this topic, we conclude that social issues and socio-psychological aspects remain under-explored. Much attention is still focused on the water-related and spatial aspects of disruption (and establishing effective crisis management). That is why this exploratory study has chosen to focus on the social sphere.
2. Key indicators
One of the assumptions that has emerged from the research to date is that societal disruption is influenced by five indicators: context, proximity, scale, time and adaptive capacity. The extent to which these indicators determine whether or not an event is disruptive, and how the indicators relate to one another, form part of this exploratory study.
3. Multi-layer safety
Current measures or dealing with extreme weather focus primarily on prevention (layer 1) and crisis management (layer 3) for multi-layer safety. Identifying concrete measures in all layers broadens the scope for action of all parties and increases the resilience of the Netherlands. We therefore emphasise layer 0 (awareness), layer 2 (spatial planning) and layer 4 (recovery).
Results
The outcome is a widely supported research programme entitled societal disruption, which aims to fill knowledge gaps in terms of both the challenge and the prospects for action. Partners have committed to tackling this jointly in order to make the Netherlands resilient to climate extremes.
Climate adaptation and water
This project relates to our theme of climate adaptation and water. We recognise the importance of further developing the issue of “societal disruption” in order to achieve a robust and liveable Netherlands in times of greater climate extremes.
In order to have a meaningful discussion about the content and not get lost in “what belongs to whom”, it is important to have an open mind. Facilitating meaningful discussions and creating ownership among partners are closely aligned with the experience and core values of &flux.
