Shake, Rattle and Roll: Communicating Lethal Risks
| Dates: | 26 January 2021 |
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| Times: | 13:00 - 14:00 |
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| What is it: | Webinar |
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| Organiser: | Centre for Crisis Studies and Mitigation |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, External researchers, Adults, Alumni, Current University students, General public, Post 16, Secondary schools |
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The Centre for Crisis Studies and Mitigation presents Dr Carina Fearnley, Associate Professor in Science and Technology Studies, and the Director of the UCL Warning Research Centre.
The 2009 L’Aquila 6.3 magnitude earthquake sent a ‘shockwave’ through the hazard scientific community, causing scientists to become increasingly concerned about what hazard and risk advice they communicate prior to a crisis. To date, however, there has been relatively little research into how scientists involved in geohazards make sense of scientific data and share hazard information amongst a wide range of stakeholders, both in the long and short term. Without understanding this process, there is little hope of setting best practices. This presentation draws on collective research of earthquake (shake), volcanic (rattle), and tsunami (roll) disasters to explore key dynamics I call the good, the bad, and the ugly of managing risk and uncertainty. Together these demonstrate that the term risk is often used incorrectly to represent uncertainty (or even better incertitude); the need to simplify and localize decisions made in uncertain contexts; and to understand that interventions to mitigate against hazards can actually lead to greater risks resulting in unintended losses in life and costs. Consequently we need to be much savvier when it comes to uncertainty.
Dr Fearnley is Associate Professor of Science and Technology Studies at University College London. She is an interdisciplinary researcher, drawing on relevant expertise in the social sciences on scientific uncertainty, risk, and complexity to focus on how natural hazard early warning systems can be made more effective, specifically alert level systems. She also has interest in the transdisciplinary potential of art and science collaborations around environmental hazards. Carina established the World Organisation of Volcano Observatories Volcano Alert Level Working Group, and edited the first publication dedicated to Volcanic Crisis Communication (Observing the Volcano World: Volcanic Crisis Communication). Carina studied Geology and Mining at Imperial College London prior to working in London City’s financial sector. She completed her PhD at the UCL Hazard Research Centre before lecturing at Aberystwyth University. Carina is a regular consultant for Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre, and frequently appears on national and international media following significant hazard events.
Register to receive the URL to attend the webinar at this link: https://bit.ly/3oDg23y.
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