Geoethical aspects in the natural hazards management

Abstract

The defence against natural hazards involves many actors with different roles: geoscientists, decision makers, local authorities, mass media, citizens. A proper management of georisks requires that each role is well-defined and governed by shared operational protocols, especially during the emergency phase, so that overlapping and misunderstanding don’t jeopardize population safety and economic activities. To achieve good results in this direction, it is necessary to undertake a careful evaluation of the limits and expectations of each component of society and the respect of legitimate aspirations and prerogatives. An effective defence system against natural hazards should be planned rationally and based on scientific data, in order to avoid alarmism among citizens, misleading sensationalism by media, careless decisions by politicians, as well as approximation in managing different phases of the risk cycle. Taking into consideration geoethical aspects related to natural hazards can be helpful to make geoscientists aware of their responsibilities towards society and to clarify the role they can play in the interaction with other actors, aiming at more efficacious actions for georisk mitigation.