Robert Kirsch, Associate Professor, School of Applied Professional Studies in the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, is co-investigator on Aftermath governance: Navigating avenues for collaboration with frontline communities and policy makers to address climate emergencies, a project funded through Canadian Insight Development Grant awarded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
The international project brings together researchers from the United States and Canada to examine how frontline communities and policymakers work together in the aftermath of climate disasters. As extreme weather events become more frequent, the research will explore how networks of Community Action and Responses to Extreme Weather Events (CARE) can help bridge community needs with proactive policymaking to reduce future climate risks.
"Climate emergencies are becoming an increasingly common part of community governance," Kirsch said. "This project examines how communities organize in the aftermath of disasters and how those efforts can inform more collaborative and anticipatory approaches to governance."
The project focuses on communities affected by major wildfires, including those in Lytton, British Columbia, in 2021 and Lahaina, Hawaiʻi, in 2023. These disasters highlight the need for a better understanding of governance during and after climate emergencies, when questions about roles, responsibilities and jurisdiction often arise and community members frequently become first responders.
The research has two primary objectives:
- Examine how communities organize and support one another following climate disasters.
- Study how formal institutions and policymakers collaborate with communities before and after extreme weather events.
Drawing on case studies across Western Canada and the United States, the team will investigate how CARE networks engage with decision-makers and contribute to collaborative governance, network formation and anticipatory governance.
Kirsch offers the following acknowledgments:
Sarah Wiebe (PI), University of Victoria
Emily Ray (Co-I), Sonoma State University