Plenary Sessions
Processes for Culturally Responsive Coalition Building
Monday, June 15, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. MDT
Understanding complex hazards and disaster impacts demands diverse knowledge, methods, expertise, and perspectives. This plenary session will highlight the efforts of the Rising Voices, Changing Coasts: Earth and Indigenous Science Convergence Hub. Indigenous knowledge holders and scientists working in Alaska, Hawaiʻi, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and beyond will share brief reflections focused on disaster risk reduction strategies informed by the principles of convergence science. Panelists will speak to how communities are building resilience while also navigating challenges related to access, governance, and a changing funding landscape alongside worsening environmental conditions. They will then engage audience members in a guided reflection to consider how care, relationship-building, and collaboration show up in their own work and can form the foundation for culturally-responsive coalition building practices.
Scientific Coalitions for Disaster Risk Reduction
Tuesday, June 16, 8:00 to 8:45 a.m. MDT
The Third Assessment of Natural Hazards in the United States is now well underway, bringing together more than 80 authors who are reviewing and synthesizing decades of research evidence in the hazards and disaster field. The goal of this rigorous scientific assessment is to inform decision makers on specific actions to reduce the human toll of disaster. This plenary session will provide an update on the Third Assessment and will feature lessons learned from the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5). NCA5 study director, Allison Crimmins, will reflect on advancements in U.S. climate assessments and share key recommendations for moving the Third Assessment forward.
Sparking Coalitions for Wildfire Risk Reduction and Resilience
Tuesday, June 16, 9:00 to 10:15 a.m. MDT
In the United States, wildfire season is stretching longer, fires are growing larger, and warm, dry conditions have the potential to stoke more extreme conflagrations across the nation. The urgency of this threat has inspired new partnerships, policies, and practices to advance wildfire risk reduction and resilience. This plenary session will feature speakers representing a range of cross-sectoral wildfire coalitions who will discuss the leadership, funding, innovations, and long-standing practices needed to respond to the threats we face and to nurture even broader coalitions in wildland fire resilience.
Disaster Risk Reduction From the Heart
Tuesday, June 16, 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. MDT
Environmental education can be a powerful way to engage a more diverse coalition of people of all ages in disaster risk reduction work. This plenary will draw inspiration from the success of the Hazard Education, Awareness, and Resilience Task (HEART) Force, a Colorado program that engages rural middle and high school students, teachers, emergency managers, and community members to take proactive steps in preparing for and responding to natural hazards. This award-winning program—led by the University of Colorado’s Center for Education, Engagement, and Evaluation and supported by NOAA’s Office of Education—aims to empower youth through innovative K-12 curriculum, role-playing games, and student-led community events. Speakers will describe the theory of change that guided the program’s development and share lessons on how to form novel coalitions that increase youth agency and community efficacy in risk reduction efforts.
Learning From Past Disasters to Reduce Future Risks
Wednesday, June 17, 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. MDT
Members of this field have long argued that disasters are preventable. But how, in this era of rapidly escalating risk, can we make this a reality? This plenary session will introduce a disaster forensics approach that moves beyond documenting damage to identifying the root causes of disaster. This methodology focuses on the historical, social, political, and economic factors that leave people exposed and vulnerable and, importantly, clarifies practical actions to reduce cumulative and systemic risks. Speakers will describe this collaborative research approach and explain how coalitions of analysts are being trained to carry out these forensic investigations on various disasters around the world.