Disaster ethics!

By Lauren Traczykowski

Disaster Ethics. I’m guessing this term evokes some thoughts around researching ethically during a disaster or crisis. Or maybe data and how we account for inclusive data gathering and analysis in our research to ensure that policies and planning are ethically developed.

But that’s more research ethics in a disaster context.  Hugely valuable and important work. But disaster ethics is so much more!

The very basics. Let’s start with ethics in general. Ethics is the should. We should do x or y because it is the right thing to do, not because we are compelled to by laws or religion.

The basics of Disaster Ethics. Disaster Ethics is a new-ish and niche discipline within disaster and crisis which aims to integrate ethics into disaster preparedness, response, recovery & resilience. If we do all of the correct and ethical preparedness we should, argues Naomi Zack, then we have a better chance of responding to and recovering from a disaster or crisis ethically. Preparing means we have acted on our duties to humans (deontology) and that we will have the best chance at maximizing human and environmental welfare (utilitarianism). Disaster Ethics is an applied ethics meaning it uses normative ethical theory and principles in specific applied contexts. Think of it like other applied ethics: business ethics, medical ethics, etc. It’s an ethics catch-all for disasters. And if it is a catch-all, it is also made up of other applied ethics disciplines – bioethics, communication ethics, professional ethics, etc.

It’s interdisciplinary. Disaster Ethics provides context, structure and logic to ethical decision making in crisis situations from varied professions in order to ensure specific response and recovery operations are fair and just. In a world where our practical responses are recognizably interdisciplinary, we need to start thinking in interdisciplinarily ethical ways in our preparedness and response phases. Different disciplines work in overlapping and interwoven structures in disaster scenarios. (It’s one of the many reasons I’m really proud of being part of the disaster research/response world.) So, if our problems and professions are interdisciplinary, then we need to think about the overlapping and complex ethical dilemmas we face, and how to approach them from a joined up ethical perspective.

It’s its own discipline. Now, despite being interdisciplinary, it’s important to think of disaster ethics as a discipline in itself because how we respond/act in a crisis or disaster situation, how we interact with other professions and groups, is going to have particular issues and concerns separate to those in other areas of applied ethics.

Let’s take bioethics. Bioethics might include things like genetics, or eye care, or monitoring your blood pressure. All the things that are handled in your healthcare system day to day. Disaster Bioethics, on the other hand, may need to account for these day-to-day things – but it has to expand its focus to include things like development and roll-out of vaccines, quarantines, mass care and triage for huge portions of the population. And then the day-to-day, less urgent (i.e. less likely to result in imminent death) issues may get pushed to one side. So, the same doctors are necessary with many of the same skills, but the scale, the focus, and the types of illness and impact that needs to be addressed are very different. And with that, the ethical dilemmas and decision-making changes.

And so, Disaster Ethics includes Disaster Bioethics. But it also necessarily includes other applied ethics so that we can effectively plan for, respond to, recover from and plan resiliency to disasters ethically. Frustratingly, though, there are only a handful of people and modules in the country (and the world) focusing on Disaster Ethics and so there is a gap in research and action.

So, what do I want to see happen?

My overriding goal within Disaster Ethics is to make it mainstream. I want to see Disaster Ethics integrated into the policy work we do, into our humanitarian efforts, into our development projects and, of course, into our national healthcare and crisis planning. For that to happen, we need to start talking about it. And we need to start spreading the word.

-          I use the hashtag #disasterethics whenever I do anything related to disaster ethics. Please follow and use that hashtag too. We need to start recognizing its existence and benefit before we can make the case for its widespread integration and application.

-          There is a very high likelihood that you are working in some aspect of disaster ethics without knowing it. I’d really love to hear about your efforts. And I want to share your efforts! Radix is now hosting Teaching Resource page and I would love to post your materials there. Please be in touch.

And with all of these efforts we can ethically improve the quality of our disaster planning and response.

#disasterethics #ethicsinacrisis @ltraczy @AstonCrisis l.traczykowski@aston.ac.uk