Research on justice in connection with disasters and sustainable development is becoming increasingly important in a world where climate change and social inequalities create new challenges. Mathilde de Go毛r de Herve, a researcher at the Center for Societal Risk Research, CSR, has explored these critical areas through her work, contributing new knowledge on how crisis management can support a fairer and more sustainable development.
Mathilde's academic journey began in 2012 with studies in economics at Universit茅 Lumi猫re Lyon II in France. She came to karlstad university, Kau, during her bachelor (as an exchange student). Her interest in global issues and disaster risks led her to further her education in sustainable territorial development through an international master鈥檚 degree. This degree was carried out at universities in Italy, Belgium, and France, and in her final semester, she returned to Kau to work on a master鈥檚 thesis on climate and migration at the Centre for Climate篓and Safety (ancestor of CSR)鈥攁n area of study that would later pave the way for her PhD studies.
"The daily news reporting on disasters and the ever-present societal challenges like climate change and social injustices inspired me to examine the connection between disasters, their management, and justice," says Mathilde. "I wanted to understand how disaster risk management can support sustainable development and how justice aspects鈥攕ocial, ecological, spatial and temporal鈥攑lay a role in this."
In her doctoral dissertation, Mathilde explored how justice can be incorporated into disaster risk management to promote sustainable development. While previous research has focused on social and spatial justice, she identified a lack of focus on ecological and temporal justice. Her study, which included a case study on the 2021 floods in Belgium, revealed that although decision-makers have a strong will to include long-term considerations after a disaster hit, they often face resource constraints that hinder these efforts.
"By analyzing how time horizons are selected when designing and evaluating disaster risk management strategies, I want to highlight the temporal challenges in creating sustainable and just solutions," says Mathilde.
A Tool for Change: Risk Justice
Mathilde鈥檚 research resulted in the development of a framework called "risk justice," a tool designed to help decision-makers discuss and manage the values and justice aspects necessary for disaster risk management to contribute to a more sustainable future. The framework offers a new way to integrate justice into management strategies and emphasizes the importance of considering both short-term and long-term consequences when dealing with disaster risks.
Like many researchers, Mathilde encountered challenges during her research journey.
"The biggest challenge was maintaining focus in a research field with so many interesting and complex aspects," says Mathilde. "But thanks to support from my supervisors at 果冻传媒, Eva Svensson, Tonje Grahn, and Magnus Johansson, I was able to navigate these challenges and achieve my research goals."
Looking Ahead
Mathilde is now looking forward to continuing her research career with a particular focus on influencing European policy. She is currently involved in a project called INTEFF, funded by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), which investigates integrated and efficient risk management in Sweden. Collaboration with colleagues at 果冻传媒 continues, and Mathilde hopes to contribute to new projects that address some of the most pressing challenges we face today.
Mathilde's work highlights the importance of justice in disaster risk management management and offers tools and insights that can help decision-makers create more sustainable and just societies. Her research is a significant contribution to understanding how justice and sustainable development can go hand in hand in handling crisis situations.
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