The Palgrave Handbook of Human-Animal Interactions in the Global Context of Climate Change, Disasters, and Other Crises

This handbook features a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive text addressing human-animal interactions (HAIs) in the context of climate change, disasters, and other crises. The increasing frequency, scope, and magnitude of global extreme events affect humans and their animal co-inhabitants on our shared planet. HAIs provide various health, social, and cultural benefits, supporting human-centred disaster efforts. This book presents international professionals’ leading ideas, debates, approaches, and promising efforts, providing a range of perspectives across the disaster cycle (preparedness, emergency response, reconstruction and recovery, and mitigation) associated with HAI-driven disaster research, practice, and policymaking. The knowledge, experience, and expertise from the Global South and North contribute to a nuanced understanding of disaster-specific HAIs, shedding light on enhancing human-animal welfare, promoting trans-species justice, and building resilience. Students, researchers, educators, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders can apply this expertise to enhance human-animal welfare and resilience associated with a changing climate and increased global extreme events.
Haorui Wu is the Canada Research Chair in Resilience and an associate professor in the School of Social Work, the Faculty of Health at Dalhousie University, Canada. His community-based interdisciplinary efforts have nuancedly contributed to disaster-driven human and non-human settlement development through the lens of environmental, social, and health justice.
Kyle Breen is an assistant professor of sociology at Texas A&M International University, in Laredo, TX, USA. His research focuses on educational impacts post-disaster, disaster impacts to historically marginalized populations, and disaster volunteerism. Regarding animals in disasters, he has previously researched animal-related information dissemination following the 2023 Nova Scotia wildfires.
Sarah E. DeYoung is a core faculty member in the Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware, USA, and a faculty member in the Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice. Her expertise is within the areas of vulnerable populations in disasters, evacuation decision-making, and public health in disasters.
Chapter "Working Equids in Disasters: Local Concerns and Inspirations" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

List of contents

1. Introduction: Human-Animal-Environment Nexus Associated with Extreme Events.- 2. Conceptual Framework.- SECTION 1: MITIGATION.- 3. The Politics of Human-Wildlife Conflicts in the Southern Africa Development Community.- 4. Working Equids in Disasters: Local Concerns and Inspirations.- 5. Rescue, Disease, and Conservation: The Working Dog does it All. (Nature’s Multi-tool).- 6. Human-Cow Encounters under Climate Change in Nigeria: The Entanglements of Violence, Politics and Environment Contestation.- 7. Human-Animal Interactions in Disaster Management: Insights from Pakistan and the Global South.- SECTION 2: PREPAREDNESS.- 8. Climate Change, Animal and Vector Movement, and Zoonotic Disease Boundary Changes.-9. Disaster Preparedness and Companion Animals in Japan: A Comparative Study with Germany.- 10. Assessing the Vulnerability of Agricultural Operations.- 11. Exploring The Human-Animal Bond and Climate Risk: A Path Forward?.- SECTION 3: EMERGENCY RESPONSE.- 12. Experiences of People with (Dis)abilities Living with Companion Animals During the Public Health Emergency of COVID-19: A Comparative Case Study of Xi'an, China and Vancouver, Canada.- 13. The rise of Animal Emergency Management in Australia.- 14. Guidance for Canada’s Wildfire Emergency Response Efforts: Learning from Volunteer Therapy Dog Program Support During Saskatchewan Crises- 15. Building Risk Communication Capacity for Veterinary Professionals: Insights from Teaching Strategies and Veterinary Practitioners.- 16. Policies and Considerations of Human-Animal Cohabitating and Co-Locating in Emergencies – How Colorado is Prioritizing the Human-Animal Relationship.- SECTION 4: RECONSTRUCTION AND RECOVERY.- 17. Memorialization of Animals in Disasters.- 18. Organizing Ecologies of (Human) Abandonment on Portuguese Wildfires.- 19. A Critical Analysis of Service Dogs in the Context of Canine-Assisted Interventions for Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).- 20. Defining Disaster Beyond the Human - Towards Multispecies Community Resilience.- 21. The Impacts of Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) on COVID-19 Recovery in Communities: A Scoping Review- 22. Conclusion.

About the author

Haorui Wu is the Canada Research Chair in Resilience and an associate professor in the School of Social Work, the Faculty of Health at Dalhousie University, Canada. His community-based interdisciplinary efforts have nuancedly contributed to disaster-driven human and non-human settlement development through the lens of environmental, social, and health justice.
Kyle Breen is an assistant professor of sociology at Texas A&M International University, in Laredo, TX, USA. His research focuses on educational impacts post-disaster, disaster impacts to historically marginalized populations, and disaster volunteerism. Regarding animals in disasters, he has previously researched animal-related information dissemination following the 2023 Nova Scotia wildfires.
Sarah E. DeYoung is a core faculty member in the Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware, USA, and a faculty member in the Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice. Her expertise is within the areas of vulnerable populations in disasters, evacuation decision-making, and public health in disasters.

Summary

This handbook features a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive text addressing human-animal interactions (HAIs) in the context of climate change, disasters, and other crises. The increasing frequency, scope, and magnitude of global extreme events affect humans and their animal co-inhabitants on our shared planet. HAIs provide various health, social, and cultural benefits, supporting human-centred disaster efforts. This book presents international professionals’ leading ideas, debates, approaches, and promising efforts, providing a range of perspectives across the disaster cycle (preparedness, emergency response, reconstruction and recovery, and mitigation) associated with HAI-driven disaster research, practice, and policymaking. The knowledge, experience, and expertise from the Global South and North contribute to a nuanced understanding of disaster-specific HAIs, shedding light on enhancing human-animal welfare, promoting trans-species justice, and building resilience. Students, researchers, educators, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders can apply this expertise to enhance human-animal welfare and resilience associated with a changing climate and increased global extreme events.
Chapter "Working Equids in Disasters: Local Concerns and Inspirations" is available open access under a 
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Product details

• Assisted by: Kyle Breen (Editor), Sarah E. DeYoung (Editor), Sarah E DeYoung (Editor), Haorui Wu (Editor)
• Publisher: Springer International Publishing
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 14.10.2025
• EAN: 9783032003126
• ISBN: 978-3-032-00312-6
• Illustrations: Approx. 500 p. 48 illus., 21 illus. in color., schwarz-weiss Illustrationen, farbige Illustrationen
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Geosciences; Anthropologie, Soziologie, Hai, Soziale Arbeit, Tiermedizin, Climate Change, Environmental Sociology, Environmental Social Sciences, Veterinary Science, Social Work Policy, Environmental Anthropology, Veterinary Social Work, Climate Disasters, Disaster Sciences, Sociology of Disasters, Green Social Work, Human-Animal Interactions