EWHA WOMANS UNIVERSITY
Hazard Literacy Center

The necessity of research

• Severity of hazards and damage in a risk society

• The necessity of providing education for socially, regionally, and economically marginalized groups to realize the disaster justice.

• Need for hazard literacy and hazard science education

• Obligation to connect and collaborate with relevant research institutions for hazard literacy education

• Diversifying hazard literacy education methods to meet both public’s and experts’ needs

The Severity of Hazard Impacts in the Risk Society (Beck, 1986)

The Need for Social Attention to Disaster Justice

Constantly occurring both natural disasters and manufactured disasters are raising awareness about the risks faced by modern society. Therefore, defining “risk” and resolving conflicts over the distribution have become core challenges for society.

“Disaster inequality”: Even when disasters occur at the same scale, the patterns of damage can differ depending on social context. Inequality may emerge during the phases of damage occurrence, recovery, and reconstruction due to the disproportionate influence of a minority of powerful actors. In addition, certain regions exhibit heightened vulnerability to natural disasters, which may contribute to increased frequency and severity of associated impacts.

Realizing Disaster Justice through Education

“Disaster justice” (Verchick, 2012) is a concept aimed at addressing social, economic, and environmental inequalities in disaster situations and ensuring equitable opportunities for all in disaster response and recovery processes.

Disaster justice is essential for resolving issues of disaster inequality, and education is the most effective means to achieve this aim. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the need for not only medical and biological research into the structure, characteristics, and transmission mechanisms of the coronavirus, but also for research on its social, political, and economic impacts.

Fostering Hazard Literacy through Collaboration between Hazard Education and Hazard Science

Scientific understanding of disasters and hazards (hazard science) is a crucial tool for anticipating emerging risks. Effective hazard education requires collaboration between scientists and education specialists to translate research findings on disasters into formats that are accessible and relevant to the general public.