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Identify the environmental, economic, social, and political perspectives of a natural disaster event or natural hazard phenomena. Every natural hazard will be interpreted using the four perspectives. Some, however may have a stronger connection to one perspective than others.
E.g., A hurricane can cause costly damage to property and businesses (economic), displace people from their homes and destroy sentimental belongings (social), prompt government to coordinate relief efforts (political), and alter beaches and coastal vegetation or cause sewer and wastewater backup (environmental). In this example, all four perspectives are strongly connected to the disaster.
Determine the potential stakeholders and their points of view that should be considered in the analysis of this event or phenomena. A stakeholder is a person or group with something to gain or lose from a situation. Each stakeholder identified will have a perspective that falls under one of the four geographic perspectives listed in Step 1.
E.g., Urban planners may see a beachfront home as a dangerous and unsustainable building strategy, whereas a homeowner may view that same beachfront as paradise. A real estate developer may see a series of beachfronts as a place to build high profit homes while an ecologist may see that same beach as a unique and sensitive ecosystem.
Analyse the multiple points of view of the geographic event or phenomena. Consider the situation from each of the stakeholder’s perspectives but also evaluate the motives and ethics of their point of view.
E.g., Urban planners are trying to protect human infrastructure from disaster damage, while a real estate developer has the intention of turning a profit. Homeowners may be unaware of the dangers or environmental sensitivity, while ecologists care about protecting the environment above all else.