The production, distribution and attribution of risk: a conceptual framework to climate-related risk management from the perspective of Arraigo in Bogotá, Colombia

ABSTRACT

This article offers a critical perspective on disaster risk management, arguing that the mainstream approaches are based on reductive epistemologies that constrain access to a dimension of knowledge, that not only fails to mitigate risk, it actually increases it. Re-examining the notion of underlying risk drivers, the study investigates risk through ontological and sociological approaches to define three different operations or risk dynamics: the production, distribution and attribution of risk. The framework outlined is based on a case study of Bogotá, Colombia, where the notion of «arraigo» has served to anchor the popular resistance to risk-related relocation policies, revealing historical constructions (risk production), preferences and exclusions embedded within knowledge systems (risk attribution), and spatial patterns of permissiveness, control and regulations, or asymmetries across the geographical space (risk distribution). This three-branched conceptual framework has practical implications, serving to integrate the underlying risk drivers into the knowledge and stewardship frames of action to respond to the political questions in disaster risk management and leverage their transformative potential as climate adaptation measures.

KEYWORDS:

• Global risk
• risk theory
• urban risk
• risk management
• co-production
• vulnerability
• underlying risk drivers
• Bogota
• climate-related relocation
• loss and damage

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Dr. Arabella Fraser and Dr. Joan García del Muro, the directors of my doctoral research, and Dr. Luis Saez, director of my master's thesis, where I initiated the philosophical reflections that inspired me to this work. I extend my gratitude to UPC, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, including UPC-CCD, the Office of International Relations, and the UNESCO Chair on Sustainability at UPC (UnescoSost), for hosting and supporting the research. Also Sincere thanks to Professor Mathieu Feagan, at the University of Waterloo, for consistently valuing my work, and Dr. Lily Lindegaard and her team at the Danish Institute for International Studies for their trust, patience, support, and technical guidance in developing this manuscript. Finally, thanks to the NATURA Network for enabling the global engagement of my research activities with Arraigo in Bogota, and to the community leaders of Arraigo, of course. Finally, to Colfuturo and my relatives for the financial and general support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Fundación para el futuro de Colombia.

Notes on contributors

Duván López Meneses

Duván López Meneses with a background in geology and specialization in environmental management and climate risks, I have pursued master's studies in contemporary philosophy and earned a Ph.D. in Sustainability from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Cum Laude, 2023). My work is dedicated to critical studies on disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, and development in the Global South. I focus on practical approaches to guide the design and implementation of participatory methods, emphasizing social cohesion, environmental justice, and innovation. My goal is to contribute to the transformation of the relationship between humans and nature towards more adaptive and sustainable trends.