Human Dimensions of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management including Mining within the Developmental, Capable and Ethical State division comprises three focus areas.

Human dimensions of climate change

We investigate climate justice, socio-cultural risk perception, social vulnerability adaptation, mitigation, resilience to extreme weather events – heat waves, extended droughts, storms, severe floods and wildfires; social, health, and economic impacts of climate change or extreme weather events, with a focus on livelihoods; health and human security; social vulnerability (such as persons with disabilities, children, women) and adaptation strategies. We examine the multiple partnerships and policy frameworks for climate action at different levels and across different systems and how they enable and impede transformative policies, commitments and programmes or projects in South Africa and continentally.

Disaster preparedness and risk management

We adopt multidisciplinary and system approaches to understanding disaster preparedness, response and recovery to strengthen the provincial (and national) social support and health systems.  Our work promotes climate-disaster resilient systems, including health systems to respond to the needs of vulnerable communities, food security, vector-borne diseases, pandemics and develop local/community adaptation systems and strategies. Specifically, the work examines global, national, provincial and local health systems responses to climate and other disasters with the aim to realise transformed values and supply chains. We analyse public and social infrastructure development, maintenance and implications for disaster preparedness; circular economy and waste management; and disaster recovery and cultural heritage.

Mining, just energy transition, and development

The division leads the Mining theme to explore topics such as the ‘Impact of 4IR on mining in South Africa, and ‘Just Energy Transitions’ in a transforming society which overlaps with climate change research. Critical analysis of economic and livelihoods activities and how they intersect with changing energy infrastructure and sources, gender, exclusion, insecurity, risk, disasters and inequalities is conducted to understand how just, is the just energy transition; and the role of ‘green’ infrastructure in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting health. Our work focuses on disasters in mining towns and vicinities (acid water drainage, dam burst, environment, heritage, wellbeing, biodiversity, and governance/ethics). We explore the mining and the gender question in a transforming society.