Papers by Brent Doberstein
Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Apr 1, 2004
There has been a decided lack of empirical research examining development aid agencies as 'agents... more There has been a decided lack of empirical research examining development aid agencies as 'agents of change' in environmental impact assessment (EIA) systems in developing countries, particularly research examining the model of environmental planning practice promoted by aid agencies as part of capacity building. This paper briefly traces a conceptual framework of EIA, then introduces the concept of ''EIA capacity building''. Using Viet Nam as a case study, the paper then outlines the empirical results of the research, focusing on the extent to which aid agency capacity-building programs promoted a Technical vs. Planning Model of EIA and on the coherence of capacity-building efforts across all aid programs. A discussion follows, where research results are interpreted within the Vietnamese context, and implications of research results are identified for three main groups of actors. The paper concludes by calling for development aid agencies to reconceptualise EIA capacity building as an opportunity to transform developing countries' development planning processes.
Social Science Research Network, 2022
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
International Journal of Mass Emergencies & Disasters
Catastrophic natural disasters often require rapid community mobilization to meet local needs.. T... more Catastrophic natural disasters often require rapid community mobilization to meet local needs.. This study uses social capital to explore how indigenous Newar communities in Kathmandu responded to the 2015 Nepal earthquake. Data from thirty-three semi-structured interviews with local Newar inhabitants, and secondary sources, form the basis of analysis. Newari prosocial behaviors learned through living in communal neighborhoods, experiences of working for community welfare through cultural Guthi systems, spiritual strength drawn from ancestors and their proud heritage, and the community's high level of equanimity facilitated disaster responses in a positive way. The study provides insights on how social capital among ethnic groups like the Newar influence community responses to natural disasters.
This dissertation examines contentions in academic literature that a planning model of EIA' i... more This dissertation examines contentions in academic literature that a planning model of EIA' is a promising means by which to support sustainable development in developing countries. The planning model structures EIA as a participatory and value-laden planning process, linked to political planning and decision-making processes, embracing uncertainty, and incorporating multiple ways of knowing about environmental/social impacts. This contrasts with the 'technical model of EIA': a rational/technical product, using scientific techniques and skilled technicians to predict and quantify environmental and social impacts. Research was carried out in Viet Nam, using a comparative case study approach. Development-aid EIA capacity-building programmes were used as case studies (n=9). Crosscase analysis was used to distill patterns, processes and outcomes common to the cases. The research employed a range of data gathering and analytical methods, including: collection of secondary sou...
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2022
Understanding the complex links between socioeconomic variables and carbon emissions can reveal h... more Understanding the complex links between socioeconomic variables and carbon emissions can reveal household spending and lifestyle patterns. This study oversees those issues and examines consumption patterns and their related variables such as climate change understanding, attitudes, and knowledge, in order to better comprehend the complicated linkages. This study revealed that eight socioeconomic elements influence a household's carbon footprint: (i) household income (β = 0.476, p < 0.05), (ii) green attitudes (β = −0.196, p < 0.05), (iii) residential space (β = 0.157, p < 0.05), (iv), education levels (β = 0.131, p < 0.05), (v) household's tenure status by ownership (β = 0.130, p < 0.05), (vi) household's age (β = 0.112, p < 0.05), (vii) size of household (β = 0.101, p < 0.05), and, (viii) female-headed household (β = −0.077, p < 0.05). Approximately 83.6% of respondents are mindful of climate change, but only 2.6% correctly define it as a long-term shift in weather patterns. The study found that 82% of households are willing to change their consumption habits and lifestyle to reduce their household's carbon footprint. In order to achieve a low carbon society, our research advocate a multipronged approach and policy action is crucial based on the results. Further, robust climate change educational and awareness programmes is decisive at the multilevel and scale in Malaysia to achieve its carbon emissions reduction target by 2050.
Routledge Handbook of Environmental Hazards and Society, May 9, 2022
While the potential for climate change-related displacement has been recognised for over 20 years... more While the potential for climate change-related displacement has been recognised for over 20 years, the international community has been slow to develop climate change-specific instruments to guide the relocation process beyond those that relate to displacement generally
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2022
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021
Established in 1997 by Canada's property and casualty insurers, the Institute for Catastrophic Lo... more Established in 1997 by Canada's property and casualty insurers, the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction is an independent, not-for-profit research institute based in Toronto and at Western University in London, Canada. The Institute is a founding member of the Global Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes. The Institute's research staff are internationally recognized for pioneering work in a number of fields including wind and seismic engineering, atmospheric sciences, water resources engineering and economics. Multi-disciplined research is a foundation for the Institute's work to build communities more resilient to disasters.
Weather, Climate, and Society, 2020
Emergency department visitation data were analyzed using a matched-pair, retrospective cohort met... more Emergency department visitation data were analyzed using a matched-pair, retrospective cohort method to estimate the effects of winter storms on fall-related injury risks for a midsized urban community in Ontario, Canada. Using a unique definition and classification of winter storm events and dry-weather control periods, relative risks of injury were estimated for total falls and two subcategories (same-level falls involving ice and snow; all other falls) across two storm event types (snowfall only; mixed precipitation). Winter storms were associated with 38% and 102% increases in the mean incidence of same-level falls involving ice and snow during snow events and freezing-rain events, respectively. The incidence of other types of falls was slightly but significantly less during snow events relative to dry-weather control periods. Findings suggest that walking is not safer than driving during winter storms, as same-level falls involving ice and snow accounted for 64% more of the inj...
Urban Climate, 2019
Cities' responses to the challenge of climate change mainly relate to urban spatial planning and ... more Cities' responses to the challenge of climate change mainly relate to urban spatial planning and capacity-building initiatives. Those are enhanced by supportive climate adaptation policies at the sub-national level, which open up potential benefits and opportunities. Using the city of Melaka as a case study, this paper examines the importance of supportive climate adaptation policies using 'good practices' within a multi-level climate governance framework. This framework is evaluated by horizontal and vertical dimensions which assess policy actions designed to close the gap between national and local levels. Melaka is aiming to become a greener city, and its carbon reduction target is intended to support climate mitigation. This is discussed in relation to dynamic horizontal and vertical interactions at various scales. This study also examined why Melaka is considered a testing ground for climate mitigation projects that may subsequently be applied in other Malaysian states. A dual, collaborative, top-down and bottom-up approach and likely ways forward are also discussed as elements of good multi-level governance. The findings of this study should inform the application of multi-level governance in other states in Malaysia and elsewhere with similar ecological and economic contexts.
While the potential for climate change-related displacement has been recognised for over 20 years... more While the potential for climate change-related displacement has been recognised for over 20 years, the international community has been slow to develop climate change-specific instruments to guide the relocation process beyond those that relate to displacement generally.
Environment Systems and Decisions, 2022
Protecting wildlife and other natural resources requires engaging and empowering local communitie... more Protecting wildlife and other natural resources requires engaging and empowering local communities, ensuring compliance with rules, and ongoing monitoring and research. At the frontline of these efforts are rangers. Despite their critical role in maintaining the integrity of parks and protected areas, rangers across the world are exposed to precarious employment conditions and hazardous work environments. We conducted an international scoping review to understand which employment and working conditions are examined in the context of the ranger occupation and to assess whether the concept of precarious employment is used in the conservation, criminological, and environmental sustainability literature on rangers. We reviewed publications from Web of Knowledge, Scopus, ProQuest, and Medline, and grey literature for relevant English language articles published between 2000 and 2021. Our findings are based on the analysis of 98 included studies. We found that the most commonly discussed aspect of rangers' employment and working conditions was the hazardous social and physical work environment, although this was often accompanied by severe income inadequacy, employment insecurity, and a lack of social security, regulatory support, and workplace rights. Such employment and working conditions can cause adverse impacts on rangers' mental and physical health, well-being, and safety, and are also detrimental to their ability to adequately protect biodiversity. We conclude by outlining the need for sustainable solutions and additional research based on established conceptualizations of the precarious employment concept and other related concepts. Lastly, we suggest that governments should acknowledge the importance of rangers through their recognition as essential workers and provide greater support to improve their employment conditions.
Pacific Island countries, like the Cook Islands, are often considered to be extremely vulnerable ... more Pacific Island countries, like the Cook Islands, are often considered to be extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Considerable literature highlights that local knowledge can play a...
Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 2021
PurposeThe plethora of contributions to social learning has resulted in a wide range of interpret... more PurposeThe plethora of contributions to social learning has resulted in a wide range of interpretations, meanings and applications of social learning, both within and across disciplines. However, advancing the concept and using social learning methods and tools in areas like disaster-shocks requires interdisciplinary consolidation of understandings. In this context, the primary focus of this paper is on the contributions of social learning to disaster risk reduction (DRR).Design/methodology/approachBy applying a three-round policy Delphi process involving 18 purposefully selected scholars and expert-practitioners, the authors collected data on the meanings of social learning for two groups of professionals, DRR and social-ecological resilience. The survey instruments included questions relating to the identification of the core elements of social learning and the prospects for enhancing social-ecological resilience.FindingsThe results revealed strong agreement that (1) the core elem...
Conservation and Society, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global recession and mass unemployment. Through reductions in ... more The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global recession and mass unemployment. Through reductions in trade and international tourism, the pandemic has particularly affected rural economies of tropical low- and middle-income countries where biodiversity is concentrated. As this adversity is exacerbating poverty in these regions, it is important to examine the relationship between poverty and wildlife crime in order to better anticipate and respond to the impact of the pandemic on biodiversity. To that end, we explore the relationship between poverty and wildlife crime, and its relevance in the context of a global pandemic. We examine literature from conservation, criminology, criminal justice, and social psychology to piece together how the various dimensions of poverty relate directly and indirectly to general criminal offending and the challenges this poses to conservation. We provide a theoretical framework and a road map for understanding how poverty alleviation relates to reduced wildlife crime through improved economic, human, socio-cultural, political, and protective capabilities. We also discuss the implications of this research for policy in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conclude that multidimensional poverty and wildlife crime are intricately linked, and that initiatives to enhance each of the five dimensions can reduce the poverty-related risks of wildlife crime.
KnE Social Sciences, 2019
Planned or managed resettlement is increasingly being seen as a logical and legitimate disaster r... more Planned or managed resettlement is increasingly being seen as a logical and legitimate disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation strategy for urban informal settlements in many developing country cities. Our understanding of the 50+ year history of “Development-induced Displacement” (i.e. resettlement for resource extraction or development project purposes) strongly suggests that resettlement, particularly long distance resettlement, often triggers significant, negative impacts for resettled communities. We now understand that long distance resettlement should be seen as an option of last resort. Under most climate change scenarios, informal settlements in coastal, or riverside locations are expected to be impacted negatively by climatic change, and thus the question of whether or not to resettle (despite the negatives associated with this) still arises. This paper will present several emerging and innovative alternatives to long distance resettlement, including the so-c...
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Papers by Brent Doberstein