The #NoNaturalDisasters Conference

Time

10:00 - 18:00 UTC

About

The #NoNaturalDisasters Twitter and online campaign launched in 2017 and has since been working to move the discussion around the unnaturalness of disasters away from a limited audience within the field of disaster risk reduction and management, to a broader audience. Through the use of Twitter and other online platforms, the campaign has allowed for a complimentary discussion and engagement that has built on the decades of work carried out by academics and practitioners on the topic and has allowed for a more democratised positioning.

The campaign has always had the aim of politely engaging and questioning the use of “natural” to describe disasters by those in positions of power (politicians, government officials, journalists, businesses etc). Through individual tweets or posts highlighting the misleading use of “natural” to describe disasters, to specific guidance documents aimed at various sectors on how to change discourse and terminology, the campaign successes have been numerous.

To mark the 5th Anniversary of the campaign, the conference will provide space for discussions about the aims and the ways of achieving them as we move forward.

Conference themes

Implications of supporting the status quo

Using expert knowledge, presentations & discussion, this theme will aim to discuss and unpack some of the ways in which classing a disaster as 'natural' has been beneficial throughout history, for who and why it's continued.

Researching the unnaturalness of disasters

Through guest speakers & those who have led on the research so far, we'll explore what research is already out there and discuss which areas need further consideration to help move theory into practice

(framed within the Radix Manifesto & Accord).

Our work within the broader social & economic systems

We'll use our expert contributors to understand how can we make the necessary changes to disaster policy, research and advocacy within the current social & economic systems that seek to perpetuate the misnomer of a "natural disaster"?

It is envisaged that some tickets will be sold with a small voluntary donation suggested at registration to help cover the administrative costs.