In the 03/25/2025 edition:
News: Call for contributions: YYP Innovation Lab @ GP2025
By Integrated Research on Disaster Risk on Mar 24, 2025 07:37 pm
IRDR invites youth and young professionals (YYP) from diverse stakeholders worldwide to share their innovations to address the pressing challenges of disaster risk reduction (DRR).
News: EU LIFE Programme Calls for proposals 2025 including climate change adaptation
By European Commission on Mar 24, 2025 07:31 pm
n 2021-2027, the LIFE sub-programme Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation co-finances projects in the areas of urban adaptation and land-use planning, resilience of infrastructure, sustainable management of water in drought-prone areas.
News: Building a safer future: Rice researcher works to strengthen Haiti’s earthquake resilience
By Rice University on Mar 24, 2025 07:10 pm
Over the past two decades, Haiti has endured the devastation of two catastrophic earthquakes – first in 2010 and again in 2021. Marc-Ansy Laguerre, a postdoctoral associate in civil and environmental engineering, is determined to change that.
News: Anatomy of a tsunami warning
By Temblor on Mar 24, 2025 06:46 pm
A December 2024 earthquake that occurred off California’s coast highlights concerns surrounding how tsunami risk is communicated.
News: 20 years since the Indonesian Boxing Day tsunami
By WTW on Mar 24, 2025 05:45 pm
Two decades after one of the most powerful earthquakes in history devastated SE Asia, this article examines how new technologies, research and global co-ordination can help increase resilience to future tsunamis.
News: These California coastal cities face heightened flood danger from tsunami, data show
By Los Angeles Times on Mar 24, 2025 05:19 pm
There are a number of scenarios where California could get hours of lead time ahead of a damaging tsunami. But should a quake strike close to shore, there could be little to no warning.
News: Why sizzling cities are mapping hot spots street by street
By Yale Climate Connections on Mar 24, 2025 12:53 pm
In metros like Reno, Nevada, in the United States, citizen scientists hit the road to collect detailed temperature data — key to taming urban heat, saving lives and designing for a warmer future.
News: The Earth is getting drier
By Columbia Climate School on Mar 24, 2025 11:37 am
As Earth continues to warm, more and more of the planet is becoming dry. A 2024 UN report found that in the last three decades, over three-fourths of all the world’s land became drier than it had been in the previous 30 years.
News: Giving rivers room to move: how rethinking flood management can benefit people and nature
By Conversation Media Group, the on Mar 24, 2025 11:22 am
When we think about flood management, higher stop banks, stronger levees and concrete barriers usually come to mind. But what if the best solution – for people and nature – isn’t to confine rivers, but to give them more space?
News: Climate change impacts leading to increased exposure to harmful toxins
By European Environment Agency on Mar 21, 2025 08:14 pm
A warmer and more humid climate across European regions is promoting an increased prevalence of mycotoxins coming from fungi, according to the EEA briefing ‘Mycotoxin exposure in a changing European climate’.
By Yale Climate Connections on Mar 21, 2025 07:31 pm
Los recientes incendios en Los Ángeles han afectado gravemente a diversas comunidades, con un impacto significativo en la población hispana.
By Valentin Forand, Luc François on Mar 21, 2025 04:19 pm
The Prefecture of Isère and the Rectorate of Grenoble in France have collaborated on an innovative project to strengthen risk awareness among school students. This project uses an immersive educational website, “Explorisk38”:
News: Historic canals take centre stage as Kochi, India aims to blunt fallout from climate change
By United Nations Environment Programme on Mar 21, 2025 03:31 pm
A new effort by Kochi’s local authorities, supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is now underway to restore the city’s waterways, which are seen as crucial to helping the city adapt to the changing climate.
News: 4 ways to prevent and manage climate migration
By World Economic Forum on Mar 21, 2025 03:16 pm
Accelerated climate change is reshaping migration and displacement patterns worldwide. Extreme weather events, rising sea levels and coastal erosion are making many areas uninhabitable, forcing millions to relocate.
News: Rethinking how we study the impact of heat on heart health
By University of Ottawa on Mar 21, 2025 03:02 pm
Scientists have been testing how heat affects our hearts for years. But here’s the thing: the most commonly used method might not provide much insight into what happens to the heart during heat waves.
News: Asia’s glaciers are melting rapidly, but these 3 steps can save lives and infrastructure
By Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Mar 21, 2025 02:50 pm
Glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayas provide freshwater for drinking for nearly 2 billion people in the region, but these glaciers are melting rapidly. Accelerated glacial melt is increasing the risks of hazards like floods and landslides.
News: Fully AI driven weather prediction system could start revolution in forecasting
By University of Cambridge on Mar 21, 2025 02:43 pm
A new AI weather prediction system, developed by researchers from the University of Cambridge, can deliver accurate forecasts tens of times faster and using thousands of times less computing power than current AI and physics-based forecasting systems.
News: Zimbabwean farmers face crop-munching armyworm after drought
By Context on Mar 21, 2025 02:32 pm
Climate change is fuelling the spread of crop-destroying fall armyworm in Zimbabwe, dealing another blow to drought-hit farmers.
News: Can’t wash, can’t farm: Iranians battle ‘water bankruptcy’
By Context on Mar 21, 2025 02:26 pm
Iran warns of water rationing as drought causes dam levels to plummet; experts blame mismanagement and climate change.
News: How to stop being surprised by extreme weather – study
By University of Reading on Mar 20, 2025 05:42 pm
Helping communities predict extreme weather events that have never been recorded in modern history is the focus of a new study published in Nature Communications.
News: Advancing disaster risk monitoring and information system in Tajikistan
By United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction – Regional Office for Europe & Central Asia on Mar 20, 2025 04:06 pm
The first meeting of the National Platform Working Group on Monitoring and Information System Development took place with support from the UNDRR and the Government of Switzerland in Tajikistan.
News: Glaciers and disaster risk: a regional perspective on a global challenge
By Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on Mar 20, 2025 04:01 pm
The potential occurrence of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) poses an ever-growing danger due to a combination of drastic changes in lake volume and surrounding stability, along with the occupation of areas that could be severely affected.
News: Natural building material could be used for safer refugee housing
By Yale Climate Connections on Mar 20, 2025 03:55 pm
Jutin, a material made from jute, can be used to build sturdy yet lightweight structures that stay cooler during summer heat.
News: Satellite early warning system for natural hazards
By WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF on Mar 20, 2025 03:44 pm
SLF researchers are training Indian specialists to use satellite data and computer models to identify impending natural hazards and areas that could be affected. The aim is to better model natural hazard processes in the Himalayas and prevent disasters.
News: Machine learning encoder improves weather forecasting and tsunami prediction
By Georgia Institute of Technology on Mar 20, 2025 03:32 pm
Successful test results of a new machine learning technique could help communities prepare for extreme weather and coastal flooding. The approach could also be applied to other models that predict how natural systems impact society.
By Technical University of Dresden on Mar 20, 2025 03:26 pm
In a significant step toward enhancing bridge safety, a new research bridge was inaugurated in Bautzen, Germany, on March 19, 2025.
News: Cholera: Early detection by Cameroon Red Cross volunteer helps limit epidemic
By International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Mar 20, 2025 03:17 pm
In the Far North region of Cameroon, discover how Red Cross epidemic preparedness efforts enabled the swift detection and reporting of a cholera outbreak—helping to contain the outbreak and minimize its impact on communities.
News: Half of global croplands could see a drop in suitable crops at 2C of warming
By Carbon Brief on Mar 20, 2025 03:13 pm
More than half of global cropland areas could see a decline in the number of suitable crops under a warming scenario of 2C, new research finds.
News: Scaling investment in Nature-based Solutions for climate resilient infrastructure
By United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction – Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean on Mar 20, 2025 03:11 pm
A newly launched Global Tool and Finance Report, developed by the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute and the Global Center on Adaptation, aim to help scale investment in nature-based solutions for climate infrastructure resilience.
By Conversation Media Group, the on Mar 20, 2025 03:04 pm
Water from the melting ice often drains into depressions creating large lakes. Many of these expanding lakes are held in place by precarious ice dams. Too much water behind these dams or a landslide into the lake can break the dam.
News: SME resilience workshop convenes cities from Barbados, Japan and Spain
By United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) on Mar 20, 2025 02:58 pm
City and business leaders from Barcelona, Bridgetown, and Sendai collaborate to strengthen SME resilience at a UNDRR-hosted workshop in Barcelona.
News: Sign up for interventions in the Multi-Stakeholder Plenaries at GP2025 opens 1 April 2025
By United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) on Mar 19, 2025 03:35 pm
The Multi-Stakeholder Plenaries at the 2025 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction will provide a dedicated and inclusive space for Member States, the UN system, and stakeholders to contribute their perspectives and report on progress.
By United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction – Regional Office for Europe & Central Asia on Mar 19, 2025 03:32 pm
The National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) of Tajikistan convened a meeting to discuss key disaster risk management initiatives, supported by the UNDRR and the Government of Switzerland.
News: WMO report documents spiralling weather and climate impacts
By World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Mar 19, 2025 03:16 pm
WMO’s State of the Global Climate report confirmed that 2024 was likely the first calendar year to be more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial era, with a global mean near-surface temperature of 1.55 ± 0.13 °C above the 1850-1900 average.
News: What does a wildfire-resistant house look like?
By Scientific American, a Division of Nature America, Inc. on Mar 19, 2025 02:58 pm
With wildfires happening more often and burning more area, homes need to be “hardened” to make them more fire-resistant.
News: Utilities are shutting off power to a growing number of households
By Grist Magazine on Mar 19, 2025 02:15 pm
Electric utilities across the United States are shutting off power to a growing number of households, according to a recent report that also found most shutoffs happened during last year’s record-hot summer.
News: Extreme atmospheric rivers could double in future climate
By National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research on Mar 19, 2025 01:57 pm
New Zealand could face twice as many of the most extreme atmospheric rivers by the end of the century.
News: Supporting States in measuring the impacts of internal displacement
By International Organization for Migration on Mar 19, 2025 01:32 pm
Having an accurate overview of the number of people who have been displaced, their characteristics, the reasons and patterns behind their movement and the duration and impacts of their displacements are instrumental in three main ways.
News: The most cost-effective approaches to protect against rising seas are flexible, adaptable
By Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey on Mar 19, 2025 01:25 pm
In an artificial intelligence study, Rutgers and Princeton scientists conclude that solutions with built-in flexibility are superior to one-shot tactics.
News: Layered response in Bangladesh: Cyclone Remal
By Start Network on Mar 18, 2025 07:15 pm
Cyclone Remal hit Bangladesh in May 2024, causing severe flooding and economic losses. Start Network implemented anticipatory financing and rapid response mechanisms, aiding 91,600 people.
News: Laser technology on subsea cables could provide earlier tsunami warning for the Pacific
By GNS Science on Mar 18, 2025 07:11 pm
Ultra-stable laser technology is being used to detect earthquakes in the Southwest Pacific thanks to an inventive method known as optical interferometry on seafloor cables.
News: Addressing the needs of vulnerable populations unable to move away from climate risk areas
By International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis on Mar 18, 2025 06:53 pm
People in informal settlements, urban deprived areas, refugee camps, prisons, and war zones can be particularly vulnerable to climate threats and natural hazards. A new study, led by IIASA researchers, explores how policymakers can ease their burden.
News: Climate disasters hit harder when you don’t have a bank account
By Yale Climate Connections on Mar 18, 2025 12:35 pm
People without bank accounts can face difficulty receiving aid.
News: Beyond the thermometer: 5 heat metrics that drive better decision-making
By World Resources Institute on Mar 18, 2025 12:18 pm
The way scientists and policymakers measure heat as they seek to combat rising temperatures across the world’s cities requires more nuance. There are a variety of tools that can help show a more complete picture.
News: UN, Samoa Surety Insurance to unveil “transformative” climate solution
By Samoa Observer on Mar 18, 2025 11:24 am
Samoa Surety Insurance and the United Nations will unveil a groundbreaking bundled insurance product this Friday designed to safeguard low-income households in Samoa from the financial impacts of extreme climate events and other risks.
News: Natural insect predators may serve as allies in spotted lanternfly battle
By Pennsylvania State University on Mar 18, 2025 11:20 am
Insect predators found in the United States could help keep spotted lanternfly populations in check while potentially reducing reliance on chemical control methods, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Penn State.
DRR Community Voices: Promoting trust and science in disaster risk reduction
By Kevin Blanchard on Mar 18, 2025 09:12 am
In recent years the convergence of populism and post-truth politics has posed significant challenges to DRR. This intersection undermines evidence-based decision-making, weakens institutional trust, and disproportionately affects marginalised communities.