Facilitating Effective DRR Education and Human Survival: Intentionally Engaging the Transformative Education-Paradigm Shift Spiral

Over the last few decades, research has repeatedly shown that the education strategies used to develop the disaster risk reduction (DRR) capabilities and relationships required to reduce the risk of extreme natural events and facilitate the development of adaptive capacities have been ineffective. We propose that the ineffectiveness of current DRR education efforts derives from being based on the totalitarian, mechanistic, positivistic, rational and capitalistic worldview prevailing in Western cultures to maintain its power. We suggest that adopting the Indigenous metaphysical, nature-based, unified and egalitarian worldview can represent a more appropriate foundation for developing effective DRR education and the social-ecological relationships required to facilitate the development of sustainable DRR beliefs and practices based on the principle of people living in harmony/balance with nature, themselves and others.