A Research Agenda for Disaster Law: an online conversation with contributors

The field of disaster law is fast evolving, both in practice and as a focus of academic analysis. Earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding and pandemics can all cause irreparable harm to local communities and climate change is acting as a risk multiplier for many of these hazards. There is an urgent need to critically analyse the legal challenges which may arise from preparing for and responding to such natural and human-made hazards.

This new book, A Research Agenda for Disaster Law, edited by Dr Dug Cubie, provides both an introduction to the field of disaster law and a detailed critique of current debates in law and practice. Across thirteen chapters, the contributors to this volume span a variety of academic disciplines and approaches to the law, as well as working for humanitarian organisations and intergovernmental institutions at the regional and global levels.

IDEAL-Net, in partnership with the Disaster Research Cluster in the School of Law, University College Cork, and the Yearbook of International Disaster Law (Brill) is organising two regional online sessions where contributors to the book will introduce their chapter and their views on the current research priorities in the field of disaster law.

The sessions have been divided according to time zones, as indicated below:

Africa, Europe, Middle East & Americas

Wednesday 19th November 2025

Duration: This 1-hour online conversation seminar will take place simultaneously across multiple time zones.

Time zones: 9-10am Eastern Standard Time / 2-3pm Greenwich Mean Time / 3-4pm Central European Time / 5-6pm Turkey Time / 5-6pm East Africa Time

Platform: MS Teams – click here to register for the Meeting

Contributors:

• Professor Susan C. Breau, School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK: An Analysis of the Codification of Disaster Law: Reflections on the Past and Future

• Dr Işıl Aral, Koç University Law School, Istanbul, Turkey: Mapping the Terrain: The Role of Public International Law in Shaping International Disaster Law

• Dr Lauren Traczykowski, Aston Crisis Centre, Aston University, Birmingham, UK: Ethics Leads: Ensuring Disaster Law is Ethical

• Dr Holly Faulkner, School of Law, University College Cork, Ireland: Volcanoes and the Law: Integrating Law and Disaster Risk Reduction

Asia-Pacific

Wednesday 26th November 2025

Duration: This 1-hour online conversation seminar will take place simultaneously across multiple time zones.

Time zones: 8.30-9.30am Indian Standard Time / 10-11am Western Indonesian Time / 11am12pm Singapore Standard Time / 2-3pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time / 4-5pm New Zealand Daylight Time

Platform: MS Teams – click here to register for the Meeting

Contributors:

• Professor John Hopkins, Te Kaupeka Ture | Faculty of Law, University of Canterbury, New Zealand: Defining a Discipline: What is Disaster Law?

• Dr Marie Aronsson-Storrier, School of Law, University College Cork, Ireland: Environmental Destruction and the Root Causes of Disaster Risk: The Need for New Imaginaries in International Law

• Dr Gabrielle Simm, legal practitioner, Melbourne, Australia: Intersectional Approaches to Disasters: Gender, Race and Artificial Intelligence

• Dr Anna Marie Brennan, Te Piringa | Faculty of Law, University of Waikato, New Zealand: Space Law, Remote Sensing and Disaster Law: Future Steps Towards an International Legal Framework