The harmful legacy of colonialism in natural hazard risk

This article considers the influence of colonial practices on natural hazard processes in several ways. The practices have acted to place local populations in locations of greater vulnerability to multiple hazards, with historical legacies resonating in the current day. The relentless pursuit of economic resource has amplified vulnerabilities by the destruction of naturally available mitigations (such as forest cover), and finally the creation of knowledge around natural hazards is dominated by western understandings and practices.

The geosciences are rooted in colonial practices. Geosciences’ historical agenda was to aid the growth of colonial empires’ wealth, often at the expense of the local population via surveys and exploitation of landscapes. Colonialism and its harms are sometimes neglected in natural hazard research within geoscience. In this article, the author explores ways in which diversifying understandings of natural hazards and acknowledging the colonial creation of risk can improve future preparedness and response.