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.

Car submerged by flood waters in a street in India

Update

19 January 2023

Flood forecasts in real-time with block-by-block data could save lives – a new machine learning method makes it possible

Using “probabilistic learning” – a type of machine learning – a new method can create local flood hazard models that can pinpoint conditions street by street using real-time storm forecasts.

Conversation Media Group, the

A man overlooks a wildfire visible from San Francisco under a hazy sky turned orange

Research briefs

19 January 2023

Climate change trauma has real impacts on cognition and the brain, wildfire survivors study shows

Psychological trauma from extreme weather and climate events, such as wildfires, can have long-term impacts on survivors’ brains and cognitive functioning, especially how they process distractions, new research shows.

Conversation Media Group, the

Woman carrying a basket walking through the sandy desert with her livestock.

Research briefs

18 January 2023

Reassessment of mean and extreme climates over West Africa

Scientists has reviewed the effectiveness of reanalysis data products for studying the climate over West Africa. Reanalysis data provides scientists with a blend of observations combining past weather forecasts rerun with modern forecasting models.

PhysOrg, Omicron Technology Ltd

River flowing through green fields and hills.

Research briefs

16 January 2023

Nature-based solutions can play an important role in reducing vulnerabilities to climate change across the rural Global South

A new paper evaluates how nature-based solutions(NbS) are increasingly addressing societal challenges while also helping communities adapt to climate change.

Nature-based Solutions Initiative

Update

17 January 2023

Nature-based solutions in cities are the future of the fight against climate change. Here's how to fund them

Mayors from Latin America, Africa and Asia will be welcoming more than 90% of the new urban inhabitants in the next decade. Governing these ballooning cities is a continuing challenge.

World Economic Forum

Documents and publications

17 January 2023

Mainstreaming gender in climate action in the Arab region

For women in the Arab region, water scarcity, food insecurity and conflict, coupled with environmental degradation, resource scarcity and forced migration, ]complicate the struggle to survive and compound the risk for increased inequality and violence.

Update

17 January 2023

Extreme storms and flood events cause damage worth billions to ports – and they are most disruptive to small island developing states

Shipping ports are crucial for the global economy. They handle the majority of trade, and transportation hubs and provide employment. Ports are located in coastal areas or on large rivers and are exposed to natural hazards such as storms and floods.

Conversation Media Group, the

Children playing with water in fountain in Harbour drive in downtown San Diego.

Update

17 January 2023

As heatwaves and floods hit cities worldwide, these places are pioneering solutions

Adapting to climate change is a daunting task, but the “how” is not a mystery. Around the world we are seeing effective retrofitting of cities to adapt to more extreme weather.

Conversation Media Group, the

Update

12 January 2023

Using machine learning to help monitor climate-induced hazards

Study finds way to track hurricane landfalls, other hazards using satellite data.

Ohio State University

Documents and publications

16 January 2023

Dealing with risks associated with tsunamis using indigenous knowledge approaches

This study aims to identify, describe and analyze the indigenous knowledge that indigenous peoples use to reduce the risks resulting from the possible effects of tsunamis and earthquakes and reduce their negative impacts.