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Ethics, Policy, and Risk Assessment of the Cotopaxi Volcanic Crisis in Ecuador—Vulnerable Society Versus Unprepared Volcanic Monitoring Staff and Authorities

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Geoethics In Latin America

Part of the book series: The Latin American Studies Book Series ((LASBS))

Abstract

Risk monitoring, knowledge management, and communication skills play a key role in managing volcanic crises, and being the scientific knowledge, the transversal Achilles heel in risk perception, decision-making, general politics, and the main generator of confidence in population. During this study, we analyzed the ethical behavior of the policy in the risk management carried out in Ecuador on the Cotopaxi volcano after its most recent reactivation in 2015. This analysis clearly demonstrates evidence of both an inadequate risk assessment and an inadequate transmission of information to the authorities and afterward to the population, which led to loss of lives and a complicated social and economic situation throughout the affected zones. As a result of this study, important lessons were extracted and are provided here with the aim to prepare technicians and authorities to manage future volcanic crises in a more adequate form.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad de Las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Sangolquí, Ecuador

    Theofilos Toulkeridis & Fernando Mato

  2. Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales FLACSO, Quito, Ecuador

    Ana Jacome

Authors
  1. Theofilos Toulkeridis
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  2. Ana Jacome
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  3. Fernando Mato
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Correspondence to Theofilos Toulkeridis .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC-CONICET), Ushuaia, Tierra de Fuego, Argentina

    Rogelio Daniel Acevedo

  2. Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Instituto de Geociencias IGEO (CSIC-UCM), Madrid, Spain

    Jesús Martínez Frías

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Toulkeridis, T., Jacome, A., Mato, F. (2018). Ethics, Policy, and Risk Assessment of the Cotopaxi Volcanic Crisis in Ecuador—Vulnerable Society Versus Unprepared Volcanic Monitoring Staff and Authorities. In: Acevedo, R., Frías, J. (eds) Geoethics In Latin America . The Latin American Studies Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75373-7_11

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