In the 12/09/2025 edition:
Climate Risk and Disaster Resilience: Key Global Updates (December 2025)
Climate risk and disaster resilience are becoming central to global policy and preparedness as climate change impacts intensify. This December 2025 edition highlights early warning systems, disaster risk reduction initiatives, scientific insights, and resilience strategies from around the world.
News: ESCAP Disaster Resilience Week showcases early warning systems
By United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) on Dec 08, 2025 08:51 pm
EW4All took centre stage as delegates from the WMO RAP and representatives from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) across Asia and the Pacific attended the 5th Disaster Resilience Week
News: How Japan’s coastal pine forests are becoming nature’s frontline against tsunamis
By India Today, India Today Group on Dec 08, 2025 08:37 pm
Mature pine forests further contribute to shoreline defence by dissipating the energy and spray of incoming waves.
News: From soil to space: Building flood-resilient cities
By United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) on Dec 08, 2025 12:50 pm
This year’s World Soil Day theme, “Healthy Soils, Healthy Cities”, is a timely call to incorporate healthy soils into the arsenal of tools which cities can utilize to tackle increasing flood risks.
News: Location, location, location: New analysis of home sales makes economic case for resilient coastal forests
By University of California, Santa Cruz on Dec 08, 2025 12:50 pm
Houses in Florida nearest mangroves saw much smaller price declines after major hurricanes, Zillow sales data show.
News: Wind tunnel research could help predict how wildfires spread
By University of Colorado Boulder on Dec 08, 2025 12:49 pm
The researchers are using the wind tunnels to study wildfire behavior. For nearly a decade, the team has been delving into the hundreds of factors that can affect the way wildfire starts, moves and spreads, as well as the damage it causes.
News: The birth of the climate doula
By The 19th on Dec 08, 2025 12:48 pm
In Florida, a new pilot program teaches doulas how to prepare pregnant people for hurricanes, flooding, and extreme heat — addressing a growing climate and maternal health crisis.
News: Will glacier melt lead to increased seismic activity in mountain regions?
By Columbia Climate School on Dec 08, 2025 12:47 pm
A recent study from Earth and Planetary Science Letters is the first to directly link earthquakes to climate change-induced glacial melt. Scientists analyzed 15 years of seismic activity of a peak that is part of the Mont Blanc massif.
News: From Scoping to Action: Strengthening Risk-Informed Shelter and Settlements in North-East Nigeria
By United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) on Dec 08, 2025 11:21 am
This article highlights the collaboration between UNDRR-GSC and the CCCM/Shelter/NFI sector in North-East Nigeria in 2025 to integrate DRR into humanitarian shelter, settlement and NFI programming.
News: Why does the U.S. flood insurance gap persist, and how can private insurance transform the market?
By Moody’s Investors Service on Dec 05, 2025 04:34 pm
New Moody’s RMS modeling finds that two-thirds of U.S. flood residential modeled losses go uninsured.
News: Hurricane Melissa, debt and pre-arranged financing: Jamaica’s unfolding story
By Centre for Disaster Protection on Dec 05, 2025 04:32 pm
Several countries now spend more servicing debt than investing in essential services like health and education.
News: How do we know the role of climate change in weather events? Attribution science
By Climate Central on Dec 05, 2025 04:30 pm
Human-caused climate change has a “fingerprint” on weather that scientists can distinguish from the signals of natural climate variability. This fingerprint of human-caused climate change can be identified and measured in daily weather and extreme eve
News: Volcanic eruptions set off a chain of events that brought the Black Death to Europe
By University of Cambridge on Dec 05, 2025 04:29 pm
Clues contained in tree rings have identified mid-14th-century volcanic activity as the first domino to fall in a sequence that led to the devastation of the Black Death in Europe.
News: Iran’s record drought and cheap fuel have sparked an air pollution crisis – but the real causes run much deeper
By Conversation Media Group, the on Dec 05, 2025 04:26 pm
Air pollution is the latest environmental crisis causing havoc across Iran. Large parts of the country are already suffering from a drought, one of the worst in decades. Its wetlands are dry, and its land is subsiding at alarming rates.
News: The housing crisis is forcing Americans to choose between affordability and safety
By Conversation Media Group, the on Dec 05, 2025 04:25 pm
Over 21 million renter households nationwide spent more than 30% of their income on housing costs in 2023. It’s a housing affordability crisis in motion.
News: Six-year study reveals ancient quakes along 150-mile fault system in Nepal
By Virginia Tech on Dec 05, 2025 04:23 pm
Data about prehistoric earthquakes on the Western Nepal Fault System revealed a minimum of three major previously undocumented surface-rupturing earthquakes took place along the system over the past 10,000 years and perhaps as many as 14.
News: Temperature increase is accelerating in Arab Region, with escalating impacts
By World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Dec 05, 2025 04:16 pm
The Arab region had its hottest year on record in 2024, and the rate of warming has accelerated in recent decades, accompanied by more intense heatwaves and droughts as well as extreme rainfall and storms,.
News: Indonesia: How deforestation turned a cyclonic storm into a likely recurring tragedy
By University of Sydney on Dec 05, 2025 02:52 pm
Recent floods in Sumatra must be understood not only as a hydrometeorological phenomenon, but as a sign of ecosystem collapse: the soil-forest-water cycle is degrading, exacerbated by decades of deforestation and land-use change.
News: Pakistan: Rise in mild Karachi earthquakes prompts calls for disaster preparedness
By Dialogue Earth on Dec 05, 2025 02:36 pm
The city’s building codes need enforcing, and the groundwater extraction that destabilises buildings needs controlling, say experts
News: Australia: Storms in the Southern Ocean are producing more rain – and the consequences could be global
By Conversation Media Group, the on Dec 05, 2025 02:26 pm
If you ever find yourself on Macquarie Island, the first thing you’ll notice is that the wildlife is changing. For years, scientists suspected the culprit was increasing rainfall. Our new research, published in Weather and Climate Dynamics, confirms this.
News: Thailand: New findings reveal that swift action must be taken to prepare schools for future emergencies
By United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Dec 05, 2025 02:12 pm
As devastating floods interrupt education for thousands of children in southern Thailand, recent findings from a UNICEF-NIDA survey point to vulnerabilities that could be significantly reduced with stronger preparedness.
DRR Community Voices: Living with the Indus: Building the enabling environment Pakistan needs for a resilient future
By Haris Mushtaq on Dec 05, 2025 01:15 pm
Pakistan’s relationship with water has always been double-edged. The Indus River is the backbone of the country’s economy and lifeline for millions, yet it can unleash devastation overnight.
News: From vaults to villages: How banks build financial resilience in crisis response
By Connecting Business initiative on Dec 05, 2025 12:59 pm
When disasters strike, banks and financial service structures in affected areas face significant challenges, yet they prove surprisingly resilient weathering the storm of disruption.
News: Collaborative prediction: Allocating wildfire resources early
By Domestic Preparedness on Dec 05, 2025 12:50 pm
In recent decades, the threat to life and property from “fast fires” on the southern Great Plains has escalated, and wildfires have become a prominent natural hazard on the plains of Texas and Oklahoma.
News: Human-caused earthquakes are real. Here’s why even stable regions can snap
By Africa Science News Service on Dec 04, 2025 03:34 pm
Human activities – such as mining, oil and gas extraction, dam-building and tapping into geothermal energy – have set off unexpected quakes in these stable regions.
News: REGILIENCE+ survey on climate change adaptation needs
By REGILIENCE – Regional Pathways to Climate Resilience on Dec 04, 2025 03:00 pm
REGILIENCE+ will use the results of this survey to best tailor our communication products, training programmes and policy recommendations.
News: Coastal regions and climate change: how better risk assessment can help protect infrastructure and livelihoods
By Conversation Media Group, the on Dec 04, 2025 02:43 pm
In late October, the Caribbean was ravaged by Hurricane Melissa, a type of storm whose likelihood has been quadrupled by climate change, according to research from Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute.
News: When disaster strikes: How fire insurance protects lives and property in informal settlements
By International Labour Organization (ILO) on Dec 04, 2025 02:43 pm
Across the world’s informal settlements, a single spark can erase a family’s home, savings, and livelihood in minutes. Yet fire insurance is rarely accessible or trusted by low-income households.
News: Smart agricultural water management
By Deltares on Dec 04, 2025 02:41 pm
At the Hoeve Lotmeer farm in Anna Paulowna, the Zoetwaterboeren project has implemented and tested both a circular water system and a drainage water purification system.
News: CCRIF launches the Livelihood Protection Policy (LPP) to safeguard vulnerable groups after storms, hurricanes and extreme rainfall events
By Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility, the on Dec 04, 2025 02:40 pm
In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which left thousands of low-income Jamaicans struggling to rebuild their lives and livelihoods, a groundbreaking parametric insurance product, the Livelihood Protection Policy (LPP), is being launched in Jamaica this week
News: Governments need to prepare for more frequent large floods
By Conversation Media Group, the on Dec 04, 2025 02:38 pm
While many scientific and technical reports show that floods are becoming larger and more common, these reports may be underestimating how their frequency is changing.
News: Sri Lanka’s latest climate-driven floods expose flaws in disaster preparations – here’s what needs to change
By Conversation Media Group, the on Dec 04, 2025 02:21 pm
With the right integration of science, planning and governance, disasters of this magnitude need not become inevitable hallmarks of Sri Lanka’s future.
News: Australia: K’gari’s unique ancient lakes once dried out. Could this happen again?
By Conversation Media Group, the on Dec 04, 2025 02:14 pm
New research found some of the island’s deepest lakes dried out only 7,500 years ago. In the current era of climate change, it’s possible this could happen again.
News: UNDRR: Survey on advocacy and knowledge products for disaster risk reduction
By United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) on Dec 04, 2025 01:40 pm
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction invites your feedback on how the development community engages with its disaster risk reduction tools and information resources.
News: GADRRRES newsletter November 2025
By Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sector (GADRRRES) on Dec 03, 2025 07:08 pm
GADRRRES shares a newsletter about the activities and events the alliance develops or participates. This news item shows the November 2025 issue table of contents.
News: G20 leaders signal strong commitment to disaster risk reduction and resilience
By United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) on Dec 03, 2025 04:36 pm
Meeting in Johannesburg, G20 Leaders adopted a historic Leaders’ Declaration calling for stronger, coordinated efforts to reduce disaster risk, expand anticipatory action, and invest in long-term resilience.
News: Risk in Context Podcast: Advancing climate risk adaptation, resilience, and financing after COP30
By Marsh – United Kingdom on Dec 03, 2025 02:42 pm
In this episode of Risk in Context, the hosts discuss key takeaways from COP30, focusing on the implications and opportunities for risk managers navigating the complex challenges of climate adaptation and resilience.
DRR Community Voices: Why resilient water systems are the smart path to peace
By Lavuun Verstraete on Dec 03, 2025 02:38 pm
It is cheaper – and smarter – to invest in permanent, climate-resilient water systems than to sustain expensive, temporary ones.
News: All the world’s buildings available as 3D models for the first time
By Technische Universität München on Dec 03, 2025 02:03 pm
With the GlobalBuildingAtlas, a research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has created the first high-resolution 3D map of all buildings worldwide.
News: Flood risks in delta cities are increasing, study finds
By University of East Anglia on Dec 03, 2025 02:03 pm
New research shows how the combination of extreme climate events, sea-level rise and land subsidence could create larger and deeper floods in coastal cities in future.
News: How disaster preparedness education builds the ability to protect lives
By Japan – government on Dec 03, 2025 02:02 pm
In Japan, where earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and other natural disasters are observed more frequently than other countries, children grow up learning to recognize and respond to disaster risks from an early age.
News: New analysis provides more evidence that heat standards save lives
By Inside Climate News on Dec 03, 2025 02:02 pm
As the Trump administration is expected to finalize a standard to prevent heat-related injury and illness for workers by early next year, a new study shows that clear, comprehensive rules save lives.
News: Climate disasters deepen food insecurity in the Punjab
By Dialogue Earth on Dec 03, 2025 02:01 pm
Following devastating floods that destroyed crops in the breadbasket region of India and Pakistan, food insecurity continues to loom large.
News: Valencia floods: lessons in claims and recovery, one year on
By Zurich Insurance Group Limited on Dec 03, 2025 02:01 pm
Spain’s DANA floods in late 2024 exposed the complexities of disaster recovery. The event revealed how insurance, business continuity and community resilience are interdependent in a world of rising climate risk.
News: Japan: Reconstructing damage in the crust with seismic noise
By University of Naples Federico II on Dec 03, 2025 01:58 pm
A team of researchers from the Seismology Group of the Department of Physics “Ettore Pancini,” has reconstructed in detail how the Earth’s crust changed after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake.
News: Breakthrough research uses machine learning to better predict New England floods
By Northeastern University on Dec 03, 2025 01:57 pm
Researchers at Northeastern University used machine learning to aggregate nearly five decades of weather data to better understand the factors that lead to New England flooding.
News: UC Irvine-led study uses social media for real-time monitoring of heat experiences in state
By University of California, Irvine on Dec 03, 2025 01:42 pm
Machine learning-based approach can help inform targeted public health interventions.
News: India: Heatwaves increase home births
By Eos – AGU on Dec 03, 2025 01:41 pm
Heatwaves in India are associated with increased home births, with differential susceptibilities across regions and populations, threatening maternal and newborn health.
News: Canada: From earthquakes to wildfires, the country is woefully ill-prepared for disasters
By Conversation Media Group, the on Dec 03, 2025 01:23 pm
A recent survey found that most Canadians don’t believe their communities are ready for a major disaster. And yet, outside of the occasional fire drill or emergency alert test, Canadians continue living as though preparedness is someone else’s job.
News: From earthquakes to wildfires, Canada is woefully ill-prepared for disasters
By Conversation Media Group, the on Dec 03, 2025 12:43 pm
A recent survey found that most Canadians don’t believe their communities are ready for a major disaster. And yet, outside of the occasional fire drill or emergency alert test, Canadians continue living as though preparedness is someone else’s job.
News: A new chapter in shaping a disaster-prepared media sector is being launched by UNESCO
By United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Dec 02, 2025 06:55 pm
UNESCO is introducing a practical tool designed to reinforce disaster preparedness while promoting public interest reporting on risks and emergencies.
News: Anticipatory action for floods in Pakistan: Combining flood impact forecasting and innovative financing to deliver early humanitarian response
By Start Network on Dec 02, 2025 06:43 pm
In August 2025, rising flood risk in Pakistan’s Indus River basin led to the activation of the Start Ready programme. Forecasts were translated into impact triggers, enabling early financing to support vulnerable communities ahead of peak flooding.
News: Why heat is the defining climate challenge for cities
By Stockholm Environment Institute on Dec 02, 2025 06:41 pm
At COP30, cooling and extreme heat was high on the global agenda. For the first time, governments put forward concrete steps to scale up sustainable cooling, strengthen heat-health systems, and support cities already struggling with rising temperatures
News: Drifting homes, enduring cyclones: Survival of the Manta community between water and land
By Start Network on Dec 02, 2025 02:21 pm
On Bhola Island’s fragile canals, the Manta people live afloat, their wooden homes drifting with the tides. With every cyclone, their survival is tested, yet community efforts and a small dock offer glimmers of safety, dignity, and hope.
News: Iran’s president calls for moving its drought-stricken capital amid a worsening water crisis – how Tehran got into water bankruptcy
By Conversation Media Group, the on Dec 02, 2025 02:20 pm
Large parts of Iran have barely seen a drop as the nation faces one of its worst droughts in decades. Several key reservoirs are nearly dry, and Tehran, the nation’s capital, is facing an impending “Day Zero” – when the city runs out of water.
News: Three ways gender equality advances resilient development
By United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) on Dec 02, 2025 01:58 pm
Persistent gender inequalities continue to shape how societies prepare for, experience, and recover from climate and disaster risks. Here are three areas where gender data reveals clear implications for disaster risk reduction and resilient development.
News: In 1939, a Royal Commission found burning forests leads to more bushfires. But this cycle of destruction can be stopped
By Conversation Media Group, the on Dec 02, 2025 09:26 am
In Australia, over many decades, prescribed burning has settled into a dogma – an unquestionable good. This line of thinking dates back to the 1939 Stretton Royal Commission, which followed the catastrophic Black Friday fires.
News: Zillow deletes climate risk data from listings after complaints it harms sales
By Guardian, the (UK) on Dec 02, 2025 09:15 am
Zillow, the US’s largest real estate listing site, has removed a feature that allowed people to view a property’s exposure to the climate crisis, following complaints from the industry and some homeowners that it was hurting sales.