In the 09/12/2023 edition :
Morocco’s earthquake wasn’t unexpected – building codes must plan for them
By Conversation Media Group, the on Sep 11, 2023 04:55 pm
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, even with the current knowledge in seismology. What seismologists can do is establish the areas in which earthquakes are most likely to occur, even establish the probability of their occurrence and its uncertainty.
Canada’s lack of recognition for gender-based violence is putting disaster survivors at risk
By Conversation Media Group, the on Sep 11, 2023 04:36 pm
It is important to recognize that social vulnerabilities are not inherent individual traits, rather vulnerability stems from historic inequities over time that impact access to resources and marginalize people.
By Conversation Media Group, the on Sep 11, 2023 04:24 pm
Unlike regular floods, which develop more slowly and can be predicted in advance, flash floods catch people off guard due to their rapid onset and are rarely recorded in the field.
Heatwaves hitting Antarctica too now
By University of Colorado Boulder on Sep 11, 2023 04:02 pm
While Antarctica may seem isolated from the rest of the world, changes to the icy continent could significantly impact the rest of the world.
Hurricane Fiona’s legacy: How studying storm impacts can help us better prepare for future events
By Conversation Media Group, the on Sep 11, 2023 03:26 pm
Hurricane Lee became the busy 2023 hurricane season’s first Category 5 storm and one of the most intense hurricanes on record in the Atlantic Ocean. As hurricane Lee’s uncertain storm track could potentially take it towards the Canadian Maritimes.
Colombia kicks-off new disaster risk reduction effort as El Niño takes hold
By Pacific Disaster Center on Sep 11, 2023 02:50 pm
Colombia’s national disaster management organization, UNGRD, has just announced a new forward-leaning disaster risk reduction (DRR) initiative to help deal with the nation’s significant exposure to climate-induced hazards.
Temperature extremes hit lower- and middle-income countries hardest
By American Geophysical Union on Sep 11, 2023 12:43 pm
People living in smaller cities in lower-income regions face a greater risk of experiencing extreme temperatures. Such cities are also less likely to possess the infrastructure necessary to deal with an extreme climate.
Heat waves have a cost. Here’s why it’s important to quantify it
By Conversation Media Group, the on Sep 11, 2023 11:39 am
Heat waves are having a major impact on human health in Canada. Estimating the historical and future health costs of extreme heat will allow the country to put in place efficient and coherent measures to fight climate change.
Mosquito-borne dengue grows deadlier in South Asia as planet warms
By Context on Sep 08, 2023 03:16 pm
Virus is posing an ever-greater threat in Bangladesh and Nepal where rise and spread of cases are linked to climate change impacts.
Test your risk blind spots with seven ‘less familiar’ potential cat events
By Risk Management Solutions on Sep 08, 2023 03:04 pm
A ‘recency’ bias focused on actual events over the past ten or twenty years, their locations, impacts, and consequences, is a predisposition that can apply to many catastrophe risk managers.
By New York University on Sep 08, 2023 02:16 pm
Utility companies are generally well-equipped to handle routine blackouts, but often struggle with extreme weather events like hurricanes.
Cool solutions for a hotter climate: Tackling urban heat island effect with innovation
By World Bank, the on Sep 08, 2023 01:49 pm
Cities worldwide are grappling with the adverse effects of Urban Heat Island (UHI), intensified by rising global temperatures from climate change. The consequences of the UHI effect extend far beyond discomfort.
Opportunity: CLARE Roster of Experts - Research-to-action services in Africa and Asia
By Climate and Development Knowledge Network on Sep 08, 2023 01:24 pm
The CLARE programme has announced a call for Expressions of Interest (EoI). The call will establish a roster of climate experts for short term assignments to apply existing research into use in a variety of decision-making contexts.
Predicting future pandemics and formulating prevention strategies: The role of ChatGPT
By Springer Nature on Sep 08, 2023 01:15 pm
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in late 2019 and its subsequent worldwide spread has emphasized the urgent need for better approaches for predicting and managing infectious disease outbreaks.
By Rice Today on Sep 08, 2023 01:06 pm
Natural calamities, primarily floods, of varying intensity adversely affect the standing crop leading to poor harvests. Such untoward climatic shocks invariably hit almost all blocks of Puri District in Odisha.
Why mothers and babies will suffer more as Africa grows hotter
By Conversation Media Group, the on Sep 08, 2023 12:52 pm
As Africa gets hotter, mothers and babies are most at risk. Why is this and what can be done about it? Matthew Chersich, a specialist in climate change and maternal health, explains the reasons to health editor Nadine Dreyer.
Built from local materials, this Vanuatu home helped save lives during Cyclones Judy and Kevin
By Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Sep 08, 2023 11:44 am
Learn about the Vanuatu house that sheltered people through two of the worst cyclones in recent history — and it’s not the first time it has helped to saved lives.
By Conversation Media Group, the on Sep 07, 2023 08:16 pm
A new study mapped out where forest treatments can do the most to simultaneously protect communities – by preventing wildfires from turning into disasters – and also protect forests and the climate.
With the arrival of El Niño, prepare for stronger marine heatwaves
By Springer Nature on Sep 07, 2023 04:25 pm
Record-high ocean temperatures, combined with a confluence of extreme climate and weather patterns, are pushing the world into uncharted waters. Researchers must help communities to plan how best to reduce the risks.
By Start Network on Sep 07, 2023 04:14 pm
Start Network is pleased to announce that Howden Group Foundation, the corporate foundation of Howden Group Holdings, joins the Swiss Re Foundation and other organisations in supporting its work providing early access to disaster risk financing.
UN Study uncovers the injustice implications of aging levees in the United States
By United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health on Sep 07, 2023 04:07 pm
Ethnic minorities and poor communities in the U.S. are unequally exposed to the risk of levee failure under climate change, warns a new UN assessment.
How AI models are transforming weather forecasting: a showcase of data-driven systems
By European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts on Sep 07, 2023 04:01 pm
Developments in machine learning are continuing at breathtaking pace, both inside and outside of weather forecasting. To help assess machine learning weather forecasts from different sources, we now show a range of them in ECMWF’s charts catalogue.
By Conversation Media Group, the on Sep 07, 2023 03:59 pm
Climate change and energy costs mean we need to rethink how we design and build our homes. The updated National Construction Code has lifted the required energy performance of new housing from 6 stars to 7 stars (10 stars being the best).
Development finance institutions and investors collaborate to advance adaptation and resilience
By UNEP Finance Initiative on Sep 07, 2023 03:52 pm
At Africa Climate Week 2023, governments are meeting with climate experts, civil society, businesses and financial institutions to address Africa’s climate challenges — the most pressing of which is to strengthen economies and societies to the impacts.
By Conversation Media Group, the on Sep 07, 2023 03:36 pm
The winds that whip some towns in South Africa have the power to generate energy. But on a dry, hot day, those winds can gather up embers and dump them into tinder dry savannah and forest, destroying crops, fodder and homes, and taking lives.
By World Bank, the on Sep 07, 2023 03:26 pm
The objective of DRIVE is to build resilience through access to financial services at the household level. In the longer-term, resilience is also created through increased productivity and access to markets.
By World Meteorological Organization on Sep 07, 2023 03:25 pm
Earth just had its hottest three months on record, according to the European Union-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) implemented by ECMWF.
Africa should bolster research into climate-sensitive diseases
By Context on Sep 06, 2023 04:04 pm
Africa Climate Summit is a chance to spur medical innovation to combat neglected climate-sensitive diseases
Climate resilience can be a catalyst for peace and prosperity in the Sahel
By United Nations Development Programme on Sep 06, 2023 03:47 pm
Located on the borders between the West African countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger is the landlocked region of Liptako-Gourma. It is a region rich in traditions, languages, and customs, intertwined over centuries.
By Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici on Sep 06, 2023 03:09 pm
The Lancet Regional Health – Europe journal has published a scientific paper that introduces a transformative approach to tackle the emergence and transmission of climate-sensitive infectious diseases in Europe.
Early Warnings For All Action Plan for Africa is launched
By World Meteorological Organization on Sep 06, 2023 02:52 pm
A new Early Warnings for All Action Plan for Africa is one of the most ambitious and comprehensive initiatives ever launched to save lives and livelihoods on a continent which is regularly exposed to extreme weather .
Public-Private Partnership launched to develop agriculture insurance scheme in Uzbekistan
By Insurance Development Forum on Sep 06, 2023 01:41 pm
Sovereign risk transfer project is launched by the IDF, UNDP, and the German Government to benefit nearly 17,000 smallholder farmers over two years.
What is geospatial intelligence? A geographer explains the powerful melding of maps and data
By Conversation Media Group, the on Sep 06, 2023 01:24 pm
Whether reconstructing the past, describing the present or anticipating the future, geospatial intelligence provides valuable information to help keep people and communities safe.
NASA researchers measure sinking land in American Samoa
By National Aeronautics and Space Administration on Sep 06, 2023 01:13 pm
Protecting against flooding on islands requires reliable measurements of how much the ground is sinking and where.
Poor water quality found to disproportionately affect socially vulnerable communities
By Institute of Physics Publishing Limited on Sep 06, 2023 01:06 pm
A new study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters examines the links between drinking water quality violations and social vulnerability in the United States.
Media release: IPBES invasive alien species assessment
By The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Sep 05, 2023 12:13 pm
According to a major new report by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), more than 37,000 alien species have been introduced by many human activities to regions and biomes around the world.
How the power grid survived a hot, hot summer
By Politico on Sep 05, 2023 06:18 am
The power system has held up so far in record-breaking temperatures despite predictions that extreme heat could cause a crash. Here’s why.
Groundwater depletion rates in India could triple in coming decades as climate warms, study shows
By University of Michigan on Sep 04, 2023 04:18 pm
A new University of Michigan-led study finds that farmers in India have adapted to warming temperatures by intensifying the withdrawal of groundwater used for irrigation. If the trend continues, the rate of groundwater loss could triple by 2080.
Severe drought: western Mediterranean faces low river flows and crop yields earlier than ever
By European Commission Joint Research Centre on Sep 04, 2023 04:13 pm
A new report on drought in the western Mediterranean reveals the extent of the water shortage hitting the region. The severe drought is reducing soil moisture and river flows, and stunting plants and crops during their crucial growing season.
Rapid shifts from drought to downpour occurring more often
By The University of Texas at Austin on Sep 04, 2023 04:12 pm
New research shows that wild swings from severe drought to heavy rains are becoming more common with climate change in many parts of the world and that feedback loops from the land itself are likely contributing to the trend.
We studied more than 1,500 coastal ecosystems - they will drown if we let the world warm above 2℃
By Conversation Media Group, the on Sep 04, 2023 04:08 pm
Much of the world’s natural coastline is protected by living habitats, most notably mangroves in warmer waters and tidal marshes closer to the poles. But these vital services are threatened by global warming and rising sea levels.
Africa suffers disproportionately from climate change
By World Meteorological Organization on Sep 04, 2023 04:07 pm
The State of the Climate in Africa 2022 report shows that the rate of temperature increase in Africa has accelerated in recent decades, with weather- and climate-related hazards becoming more severe.
Financial inclusion builds resilience of pastoralists to drought
By World Bank, the on Sep 04, 2023 03:56 pm
Asna Ware Diba is a pastoralist living in eastern Kenya’s Tana River County. Despite its name, the county is in an area of Kenya recently hit by a particularly severe drought.
New model provides real-time, more accurate prediction of tsunami wave patterns
By Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology on Sep 04, 2023 03:42 pm
Scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have studied the disturbances in the atmosphere and ocean during the 2022 Tonga volcano explosion and developed a model to improve current tsunami early warning systems.
North America’s summer of wildfire smoke: 2023 was only the beginning
By Conversation Media Group, the on Sep 04, 2023 03:38 pm
Canada’s seemingly endless wildfires in 2023 introduced millions of people across North America to the health hazards of wildfire smoke.
Google adds health tips to extreme heat warnings
By World Meteorological Organization on Sep 04, 2023 03:14 pm
Important health and safety tips are being made available to millions around the world, thanks to a new Google search feature developed in collaboration with the Global Heat Health Information Network.
How social listening and public trust can reduce heatwave and wildfire risks
By Anonymous on Sep 04, 2023 01:24 pm
PreventionWeb spoke to Miguel Telo de Arriaga, Head of the Division of Literacy, Health and Well-being at Portugal’s Directorate-General of Health to learn more about the country’s approach to risk communication, and how this is applied to reduce risks.
Inclusive integration of artificial intelligence in DRR
By Kevin Blanchard on Sep 01, 2023 07:46 pm
The experiences and concerns of diverse marginalised groups remind us that technological advancements should align with a commitment to equity and representation.
China’s eco farmers innovate to cope with extreme weather
By China Dialogue on Sep 01, 2023 05:34 pm
Climate change inflicts particularly severe damage on farming. In 2022, droughts in China persisted throughout almost the entire year.
Can this forest survive? Predicting forest death or recovery after drought
By University of California, Davis on Sep 01, 2023 05:24 pm
How long can trees tolerate drought before the forest dies? Researchers from UC Davis can now predict which forests could survive despite future drought.
Unveiling global warming’s impact on daily precipitation with deep learning
By Pohang University of Science and Technology on Sep 01, 2023 05:18 pm
A research team has conclusively demonstrated that global warming stands as primary driver behind the recent increase in heavy rainfall and heatwaves using deep learning convolutional neural network.
Georgia Tech making waves in tsunami research
By Georgia Institute of Technology on Sep 01, 2023 05:08 pm
Fritz and his former graduate student, Yibin Liu, are interested in a specific kind of tsunami, those caused by underwater volcanic eruptions and landslides. So, they built a volcanic tsunami generator in a wave basin.
Two out of three volcanoes are little-known. How to predict their eruptions?
By University of Geneva on Sep 01, 2023 04:07 pm
A UNIGE team reveals how three easily measurable parameters provide valuable information about the structure of volcanoes. A step forward in risk assessment and preventive measures.
Disasters can have devastating effects not only on communities, but also the nation’s blood supply
By American Red Cross on Sep 01, 2023 03:35 pm
Damage from hurricanes, winds, fire and floods that cause a community to shut down means schools, businesses and churches where blood drives were planned are no longer able to hold the drives. Roads may become impassable for days or even weeks.
Using evidence from last ice age, scientists predict effects of rising seas on coastal habitats
By Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey on Sep 01, 2023 03:16 pm
The rapid sea level rise and resulting retreat of coastal habitat seen at the end of the last Ice Age could repeat itself if global average temperatures rise beyond certain levels, according to an analysis by an international team of scientists.
Advancing wildfire monitoring: New drone research advances wildfire monitoring
By University of California, Davis on Sep 01, 2023 02:48 pm
Typically, the primary indicator of a burgeoning wildfire in California is a plume of hazy, gray smoke wafting through the air, seen by satellites or cameras. CalFire, is alerted, and mitigation and containment efforts ensue.
Study: Coastal fisheries are resilient in the face of marine heatwaves
By Global Seafood Alliance on Sep 01, 2023 02:08 pm
Marine heatwaves – prolonged periods of unusually warm ocean temperatures – are not having a lasting effect on the fish communities that have major commercial importance worldwide.
Using rainfall quality to anticipate hunger patterns in Africa
By Climate Adaptation Platform on Sep 01, 2023 01:53 pm
The World Bank Group working paper published in May 2023 developed a new framework inspired by catastrophe risk modelling methods to improve understanding of the impacts of weather shocks on household welfare.
By European Commission on Sep 01, 2023 01:39 pm
Throughout the PSF’s twinning programme, eight municipalities from Spain, Italy, Greece, France and Germany were paired together to offer opportunity to exchange on best practices, lessons learnt, and to evaluate what could be applied in their city.
Seismologists use deep learning to forecast earthquakes
By University of California, Santa Cruz on Sep 01, 2023 01:33 pm
For more than 30 years, the models that researchers and government agencies use to forecast earthquake aftershocks have remained largely unchanged. While these older models work well with limited data, they struggle with the huge seismology datasets.
