Participatory Early Warning Systems: Youth, Citizen Science, and Intergenerational Dialogues on Disaster Risk Reduction in Brazil

Victor Marchezini; Rachel Trajber; Débora Olivato; Viviana Aguilar Muñoz; Fernando de Oliveira Pereira; Andréa Eliza Oliveira Luz

doi:10.1007/s13753-017-0150-9

Article Contents

Article Navigation > International Journal of Disaster Risk Science > 2017 > 8(4): 390-401

Victor Marchezini, Rachel Trajber, Débora Olivato, Viviana Aguilar Muñoz, Fernando de Oliveira Pereira, Andréa Eliza Oliveira Luz. Participatory Early Warning Systems: Youth, Citizen Science, and Intergenerational Dialogues on Disaster Risk Reduction in Brazil[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2017, 8(4): 390-401. doi: 10.1007/s13753-017-0150-9

Citation:

Victor Marchezini, Rachel Trajber, Débora Olivato, Viviana Aguilar Muñoz, Fernando de Oliveira Pereira, Andréa Eliza Oliveira Luz. Participatory Early Warning Systems: Youth, Citizen Science, and Intergenerational Dialogues on Disaster Risk Reduction in Brazil[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2017, 8(4): 390-401. doi: 10.1007/s13753-017-0150-9

Citation:

Victor Marchezini, Rachel Trajber, Débora Olivato, Viviana Aguilar Muñoz, Fernando de Oliveira Pereira, Andréa Eliza Oliveira Luz. Participatory Early Warning Systems: Youth, Citizen Science, and Intergenerational Dialogues on Disaster Risk Reduction in Brazil[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2017, 8(4): 390-401. doi: 10.1007/s13753-017-0150-9

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Participatory Early Warning Systems: Youth, Citizen Science, and Intergenerational Dialogues on Disaster Risk Reduction in Brazil

doi: 10.1007/s13753-017-0150-9

Cemaden-National Early Warning and Monitoring Center of Natural Disasters, Distrito de Eugênio de Melo, São José Dos Campos, SP 12. 247-016, Brazil

Funds:

Funding for this research was provided by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Brazil. The opinions, hypotheses, and recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of CNPq and Cemaden. The authors are grateful to the high schools of Monsenhor Ignacio Gioia (São Luiz do Paraitinga town) and Paulo Virgínio (Cunha town), the Civil Defense of São Luiz do Paraitinga, and Professors Tatiana Sussel Mendes and Rogério Negri, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP).

Available Online: 2021-04-26

Abstract

Abstract

Building national people-centered early warning systems (EWS) is strongly recommended by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). Most of the scientific literature is critical of the conventional view of EWS as a linear model with a topdown approach, in which technological features are given more attention than human factors. It is argued that EWS should be people-centered, and used for risk prevention, with an emphasis on resilience, rather than only being triggered when a hazard occurs. However, both the UNISDR and the literature fail to say how a people-centered EWS should be built, and what steps are needed to put EWS into effect. This article examines the obstacles and measures required to promote people-centered EWS, with a focus on the situation in Brazil. After assessing the institutional vulnerability of EWS, we analyze some measures that can be taken to reduce institutional vulnerability, based on experiences with a participatory citizen science educational project that involved high school students. Some guidelines are developed for adopting a bottom-up approach towards achieving the four elements of EWS-risk knowledge, monitoring, communication of warnings, and response capability-with the help of school curricula.
- Brazil,
- Capacity building,
- Citizen science,
- Disaster risk reduction,
- Early warning systems,
- Resilient schools

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References(49)

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