Knowledge Base highlights and editors' picks

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Every week the PreventionWeb team of editors selects the latest news and research, reports and publications on disaster risk reduction – here is their selection of the latest must-read content.

Three Syrian people sitting on the rubble in Aleppo after the earthquakes struck in 2023.

Update

8 March 2023

Syria’s earthquake survivors struggle in a disaster made far worse by civil war, bombed-out hospitals and currency collapse

After a pair of devastating earthquakes struck southern Turkey and northwestern Syria, the number of confirmed deaths continues to rise, surpassing 50,000 as of Feb. 24.

Conversation Media Group, the

An African woman standing in a corn field.

Update

8 March 2023

Five reasons why climate action needs women

As we celebrate International Women's Day today, it's important to recognize the vital role that women play in tackling climate change. While climate change affects everyone, it does not affect everyone equally.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Update

7 March 2023

From reviving traditional crops to climate-proofing infrastructure: How 5 Indian communities are adapting to climate change

The lived experiences of people across the most climate-vulnerable regions in India, as documented in the Faces of Climate Resilience project, reflect a determination to respond with action to increasing climate shocks.

World Economic Forum

Flooded street in the city of York in the United Kingdom. The first story of the red brickstone houses is under water.

Research briefs

7 March 2023

Pioneering study shows flood risks can still be considerably reduced if all global promises to cut carbon emissions are kept

Annual damage caused by flooding in the UK could increase by more than a fifth over the next century due to climate change unless all international pledges to reduce carbon emissions are met, according to new research.

University of Bristol

Two Vietnamese women are harvesting water lilies during the flood season on their wooden boats.

Update

7 March 2023

Vietnamese women leading the way on flood resilience

Because of cultural barriers, women’s participation in flood resilience is very low in Vietnam. Plan International works with women from 18 communities, empowering them to take on leading roles in the decision-making bodies of their communities.

Flood Resilience Portal

Map showing example collection of felt reports from the Mw 5.7 event on 22 April 2022 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Large pseudointensities overlay small ones.

Research briefs

6 March 2023

Crowdsourced reports via app can quickly identify an earthquake’s impact as high or low

After an earthquake, it is crucial to obtain a rapid assessment of the severity of the impact on the affected population. An app channelling information from affected people about the “felt intensity” of the earthquake allows an early damage assessment.

The GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences

Documents and publications

7 March 2023

The 2023 climate risk landscape

UNEP FI’s 2023 Climate Risk Landscape report aims to assist financial actors in better understanding this diverse and dynamic landscape of climate risk tools. The report explores the major market trends in both physical risk and transition risk tools.

Bangkok residents wade floods after heavy rains left the city inundated

Research briefs

2 March 2023

Sea level rise poses particular risk for Asian megacities

Sea level rise may disproportionately affect certain Asian megacities as well as western tropical Pacific islands and the western Indian Ocean, according to new research that looks at the effects of natural sea level fluctuations on the projected rise.

National Center for Atmospheric Research

Tree fell on road during cyclone Gabrielle. Auckland, New Zealand

Update

2 March 2023

Cyclone Gabrielle broke vital communication links when people needed them most – what happened and how do we fix it?

Modern communication systems need two main things: power, and what engineers call “backhaul”, the connections that link cell towers and exchanges to the national network. When Cyclone Gabrielle struck, both were badly compromised.

Conversation Media Group, the

Telecommunication mast TV antennas wireless technology with blue sky in the morning

Update

4 March 2023

Telecommunications preparedness in Palau – from the depths of the jungle

The Western Pacific typhoon season has the potential to impact several island countries in the region. High velocity winds and extensive rainfall regularly lead to flooding and landslides, severely damaging country infrastructure.

Emergency Telecommunications Cluster