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.

Update

8 January 2023

Developing timely and quality climate services and upgrading multi-hazard early warning system in Uzbekistan

Preventing the occurrence of natural disasters and actions targeted at mitigating the effects of environmental perils require comprehensive approach at local, regional and international level.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

An aerial view of the Mai Po nature reserve beside Shenzen City, China

Update

5 January 2023

Εngineering with nature to face down hurricane hazards

Natural and engineered nature-based structures offer promise for storm-related disaster risk reduction and flood mitigation, as long as researchers can adequately monitor and study them.

Eos - AGU

Catamaran resting on resting on a residential neighborhood street after Hurricane Ian

Update

6 January 2023

Cyclone researchers: Warming climate means more and stronger Atlantic tropical storms

A warming climate will increase the number of tropical cyclones and their intensity in the North Atlantic, potentially creating more and stronger hurricanes, according to simulations using a high-resolution, global climate model.

Iowa State University

River bed and destroyed village after the July 2021 floods in Germany

Update

23 December 2022

The fiscal impact of extreme weather events: First evidence for EU countries

This column presents the results of a first quantification, carried-out for selected EU countries, of the potential fiscal impact of acute physical risks from climate change.

VOX EU

Pedestrians traverse the inundated streets of Venice, Italy

Research briefs

5 January 2023

Venice: the risk maps of the flood-prone areas

A recent study provides an assessment of pluvial flood risks in the Metropolitan City of Venice through an innovative Machine Learning methodology that considers spatio-temporal variables.

Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici

Documents and publications

6 January 2023

How earth observation can enable anticipatory action in humanitarian crises

This report explores the unique contributions of Earth observation data to anticipatory action, the development-humanitarian spectrum, the various challenges of the data’s incorporation, and a collection of guidance and best practices from experts.

Research briefs

1 December 2022

Death Valley’s Ubehebe Crater reveals volcanic hazard areas are underestimated

Geologists found deposits of volcanic rock and ash farther out from ubehebe than at similar volcanic craters because of better preservation, suggesting that similar volcanoes may have wider hazard zones than previously thought.

American Geophysical Union

Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami disaster

Research briefs

3 January 2023

The adverse health effects of disaster-related trauma

A new study has found that Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to experience disaster-related home loss, and they are also more likely to develop functional limitations following the disaster.

Boston University

Showing financial developments and business growth with a growing tree in a coin toss.

Research briefs

4 January 2023

Climate risk insurance can effectively mitigate economic losses

Global warming is expected to lead to an accumulation of particularly intense hurricanes in the United States. This may substantially increase the economic losses caused by these storms.

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Documents and publications

4 January 2023

A way forward to integrating cascading risk into local resilience strategies in Central Asia

This research focuses on Central Asia–a diverse region of major strategic importance, often underexplored in Western academia–namely capital cities Nur-Sultan, Bishkek, and Dushanbe.