Thesis Defence // Maïlys Genouel

THESIS

Recognizing and coping with Pollution resulting from urban flooding in France and Quebec

Abstract

This thesis deals with pollution, defined as matter out of place, in line with the work of Mary Douglas and discard studies. It is considered at the interface between two risks, flood and pollution, in a dual context of environmental change and urbanization. The aim is to understand the extent to which materials displaced by flood from urban metabolic networks are seen as a social problem. The aim is to question the contours of these pollutions, to better understand how they are anticipated and managed, and to consider how victims “cope with" it. A comparative approach between France and Quebec was adopted, focusing on the recently flooded cities of Quebec, Marseille and eight municipalities in the Montreal and Paris regions. 128 interviews were conducted with scientists, managers and flood victims. Over 1,600 press articles and 98 photographs were collected. These data were analyzed using mixed methods. The results highlight the diversity of pollution caused by flood, even if this issue remains little publicized. On the one hand, scientists and managers explain how the management of pollution by public stakeholders is carried out on an emergency basis, without being integrated into policies linked to planning or flood risks. On the other hand, victims describe with emotion the consequences of pollution, even though the burden of this “negative common” falls on them, leading to environmental injustices. These pollutions can be ignored or used, in the name of resilience, to maintain an urban metabolism identical to the one before the disaster. Its role in producing pollution and intensifying environmental change is not called into question.

H₂O'Lyon thesis Director

Emeline Comby (EVS)