A call to action at COP28
The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is calling on Parties and stakeholders at COP28 to commit to #ZeroClimateDisasters because we have the power to stop disasters - everyone should have a future where they are not threatened by disasters.
Our messages and engagementsIn the 28/11/2023 edition:
Acapulco: A month afterBy Yale Climate Connections on Nov 27, 2023 06:18 pm
Category 5 Hurricane Otis destroyed lives and livelihoods one month ago today. Can Acapulco build back as a more resilient city?
Measuring earthquakes and tsunamis with fibre-optic networksBy ETH Risk Center on Nov 27, 2023 11:54 am
Geophysicists at ETH Zurich have shown that every single wave of a magnitude 3.9 earthquake registers in the noise suppression system of fibre-optic networks. This method can be used to set up close-meshed earthquake and tsunami early warning systems.
Responding to climate risks in conflict settings: in search of solutionsBy International Committee of the Red Cross on Nov 27, 2023 11:52 am
Over the last few years, the ICRC has carried out analysis on reducing the impacts of the climate and environment crisis on people enduring conflict, notably captured in a new report, Weathering the Storm.
Climate change: Rise in Google searches around ‘anxiety’By British Broadcasting Corporation on Nov 27, 2023 10:16 am
Online search queries related to "climate anxiety" have risen, according to data gathered by Google and shared exclusively with BBC 100 Women.
Planning for future disasters: Frontline communities key to building resilienceBy University of Sydney on Nov 24, 2023 01:31 pm
As the country braces for a record hot summer, SEI research highlights the importance of integrating community networks and knowledge, with formal disaster planning.
Are sweet potatoes a climate-resilient crop of the future?By Yale Climate Connections on Nov 24, 2023 12:54 pm
As the climate warms, hotter temperatures will make it harder to grow certain crops.
A fifth higher: Tropical cyclones substantially raise the social cost of carbonBy Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research on Nov 24, 2023 12:42 pm
A new study published in the journal Nature Communications now finds: Accounting for the long-term impacts of these storms raises the global Social Cost of Carbon by more than 20 percent, compared to the estimates currently used for policy evaluations.
Pakistan has a plan for adapting to climate change – will it work?By The Third Pole on Nov 24, 2023 12:30 pm
The roadmap to a climate-resilient future for Pakistan has been criticised for its top-down approach, a lack of consultation, and significant omissions
Extreme poverty rendering Madagascar highly vulnerable to underreported extreme heat that would not have occurred without human-induced climate changeBy World Weather Attribution on Nov 24, 2023 12:03 pm
Madagascar, in particular the most populated region around the capital of Antananarivo experienced in 2023 its hottest October ever, breaking many high and low temperature records.
We rarely hear about the disasters that were avoided – but there’s a lot we can learn from themBy Conversation Media Group, the on Nov 24, 2023 11:32 am
We frequently see headlines about disasters. But where are the headlines covering the good news of lives saved and damage averted when disasters do not happen? Our work, now published, offers examples we can learn from.
Chinese cities commit to reduce disaster riskBy Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) on Nov 24, 2023 06:24 am
Five Chinese cities – Chengdu, Guangyuan, Lishui, Shanghai Changning District, and Tianjin Eco-City - have joined Making Cities Resilient 2030, providing a boost to the global partnership, which is focused on scaling up action on risk reduction.
Working with nature, not against itBy European Investment Bank on Nov 23, 2023 05:03 pm
The glaring failure of traditional approaches to protect against increasingly frequent extreme weather events is prompting Thessaly to consider a dramatically different approach: removing the concrete and letting nature do its work.
Ghana: Akosombo Dam disaster reveals a history of negligence that continues to this dayBy Conversation Media Group, the on Nov 23, 2023 04:52 pm
Recent heavy downpours in the Lower Volta area of Ghana led to the worst flooding in the region’s history. The flooding was caused by a spillage (a deliberate release of water) from the Akosombo Dam
Inequity in U.S. wildfire emergency responseBy The Society for Risk Analysis on Nov 23, 2023 04:42 pm
Research shows that counties with higher black and lower-income populations receive less support in wildfire disasters.
High temperatures may have caused over 70,000 excess deaths in Europe in 2022By Barcelona Institute for Global Health on Nov 23, 2023 04:31 pm
New study develops theoretical framework to re-evaluate initial estimates of mortality attributable to record summer temperatures in 2022.
Amazon region hit by trio of droughts in grim snapshot of the century to comeBy Conversation Media Group, the on Nov 23, 2023 03:10 pm
The forecast for November 2023 through January 2024 is for drought across almost the whole region. Some projected rain in Peru may help with water levels in the Amazon River, but the wider region remains exposed to drought stress and forest fires.
‘Edible fire buffers’ could become a wildland firefighter’s best friend, study suggestsBy The Energy Mix on Nov 23, 2023 02:10 pm
High-moisture fruit crops like bananas may become a firefighter’s strongest ally in places with a Mediterranean climate. New research shows that buffers of high-moisture crops in wildland-urban interfaces significantly slows the advance of wildfires.
Village Saving and Loans Associations increasing flood resilience in South SudanBy Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance on Nov 23, 2023 01:59 pm
Concern Worldwide, through the Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance, is focused on supporting stronger flood resilience in Aweil West and Aweil North, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State through local actions such as Village Saving and Loans Associations.
Thriving through change: Innovative adaptation tools for resilient food systems in AfricaBy Global Center on Adaptation on Nov 23, 2023 07:47 am
A new inventory of adaptation planning tools, frameworks, and methodologies for use by national stakeholders in African countries has been developed to support the efforts to enhance the resilience of farming systems and livelihoods to climate change.
A disappearing island: 'The water is destroying us, one house at a time'By NPR on Nov 22, 2023 03:48 pm
The long-term prospects of Sierra Leone's Nyangai Island look bleak. Among the islanders still there, a sense of fatalism now prevails. They know they lack the means to stop the continuing destruction of their island.
Pakistan’s women go unheard in climate change conversationsBy The Third Pole on Nov 22, 2023 03:28 pm
Climate change-induced catastrophes exacerbate existing struggles for women in Karachi’s informal settlements, who are left out of decision-making in a society deeply rooted in gender disparity.
Too many renters swelter through summer. Efficient cooling should be the law for rental homesBy Conversation Media Group, the on Nov 22, 2023 03:17 pm
Summer is coming – and it’s starting earlier, becoming hotter and lasting longer. As the hot weather hits, many renters will be sweltering in their homes.
Chinese landscape architect Kongjian Yu, champion of “sponge cities” concept for addressing climate change accelerated urban flooding, wins 2023 Cornelia Hahn Oberlander international landscape architecture prizeBy The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) on Nov 22, 2023 03:16 pm
The Cultural Landscape Foundation (“TCLF”) today announced that Beijing-based landscape architect Kongjian Yu is the recipient of the 2023 Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize.
In September we went past 1.5 degrees. In November, we tipped over 2 degrees for the first time. What’s going on?By Conversation Media Group, the on Nov 22, 2023 02:43 pm
In September, the world passed 1.5°C of warming. Two months later, we hit 2°C of warming. It’s fair to wonder what is going on.
Agricultural credit, insurance, and climate changeBy University of California, Davis on Nov 22, 2023 02:19 pm
Khushbu Mishra, MRR Innovation Lab researcher and economist at Stetson University, recently published a paper on bundling insurance against drought with agricultural loans to encourage smallholder uptake of agricultural technology in northern Ghana.
Croatia tackles water losses to improve climate resilienceBy World Bank, the on Nov 22, 2023 02:10 pm
The Government of Croatia has initiated an important activity to reduce water losses in the water supply system and enhance the capacity of public water service providers.
WMO leads new research project on early warning systems in MediterraneanBy World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Nov 22, 2023 01:57 pm
The densely populated Mediterranean basin region is warming more rapidly than global average rates. It is increasingly subject to a range of devastating extreme weather and climate events.
Only resilient recovery can provide long-term protection from climate shocks and stressesBy Dr Dharam Raj Uprety on Nov 22, 2023 01:40 pm
For many communities around the world, climate-induced disasters are now an inevitable part of life. When recovering from such events, it is senseless to rebuild structures that are incapable of resisting the hazards that will inevitably follow.
National adaptation planning: Emerging lessons learned from UNEP ProjectsBy United Nations Environment Programme on Nov 22, 2023 11:23 am
UNEP has published a new policy brief to better inform climate adaptation planning and implementation. The new policy brief summarises lessons and best practices from 23 different National Adaptation Plans that UNEP is supporting around the world.
Implementation update: Insurance development forum inclusive insurance working groupBy Insurance Development Forum on Nov 22, 2023 10:15 am
This update follows the 15th Official Meeting of the IDF Steering Committee held on Wednesday 27th September 2023, and summarises the IIWG’s ongoing activities under the key pillars of implementation, engagement and advocacy.
Advancing gender-responsive climate action: Policy brief reveals progress and challengesBy United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on Nov 21, 2023 04:17 pm
A recent policy brief from UN Climate Change underscores the increased integration of gender considerations in climate change adaptation plans across the globe and the growing recognition of women’s key contributions to effective adaptation.
Climate change is an urgent threat to pregnant women and childrenBy United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Nov 21, 2023 03:45 pm
Pregnant women, babies and children face extreme health risks from climate catastrophes that warrant urgent attention, according to a Call for Action released today by United Nations (UN) agencies
AI finds formula on how to predict monster wavesBy University of Copenhagen on Nov 21, 2023 03:19 pm
Long considered myth, freakishly large rogue waves are very real and can split apart ships and even damage oil rigs.
Adapting to climate change needs our ‘urgent, unswerving attention’ says National Trust with launch of landmark reportBy National Trust on Nov 21, 2023 03:10 pm
The National Trust is calling on all political parties to ramp up progress on adaptation by introducing new legislation that recognises the importance of adapting buildings, coastlines and countryside to cope with the impacts of climate change.
After the storm, Malawi's farmers face a precarious futureBy Yale Environment 360 on Nov 21, 2023 03:01 pm
When Cyclone Freddy walloped southern Africa last March, Malawi’s farmers — mostly women — lost their land, livestock, and livelihoods.
Climate vulnerable nations could get insured for $10 mln a year each -researchBy Thomson Reuters on Nov 21, 2023 02:24 pm
Wealthy nations could provide 100 of the world's most vulnerable countries a combined $25 billion in annual protection against climate disasters for as little as $10 million per nation, research published on Tuesday showed.
Coastal river deltas threatened by more than climate changeBy Lund University on Nov 21, 2023 02:07 pm
In a unique study covering 49 deltas globally, researchers find that population growth and poor environmental governance might pose bigger threats than climate change to the sustainability of Asian and African deltas.
