5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

This Regular Session will focus on nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations efforts related to justice and equity in climate disasters. As disaster impacts increase in the Anthropocene, nongovernmental organizations and nonprofits, which have always been central to disaster response, are stretching to address broader challenges beyond just emergency relief. Other activities they do include mitigation solutions, promotion of preparedness, and infrastructure and housing reconstruction, among others. This session will discuss theoretical questions around how these large societal decisions around land use, climate adaptation, and disaster resilience are shaped by the governance of nongovernmental organizations, nonprofits and philanthropic institutions, specifically in relation to promoting justice and equity. Do these organizations promote justice and equity in their disaster programming? Do they promote adaptation for the most vulnerable populations or continuation of the status quo? How do programming by these organizations foster or limit participatory engagement of communities in designing climate resilience options? How does the engagement of nongovernmental organizations affect policy and climate change mitigation strategies of governments? The session is open to case studies of nongovernmental engagement in climate disasters and theoretical discussions of the role of these organizations in promoting climate and disaster justice. We encourage discussions from numerous country settings and types and sizes of organizations.