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.

Documents and publications

8 April 2022

Firm foundations for child-centred climate resilience

This briefing discusses how best to build child-centred resilience. It proposes universal foundations, arguing that climate finance should provide children with a shock-responsive ‘safety net’ that prioritises their access to social assistance programmes.

Documents and publications

8 April 2022

Cascading climate risks and options for resilience and adaptation in the Middle East and North Africa

This report assesses the current situation and future projections of possible and likely biophysical climate impacts in the MENA region, based on a literature review, news articles and CASCADES climate impact data analysis.

A farm house on hilly farm land in Serbia.

Update

19 March 2022

InsuResilience solutions fund supports climate risk insurance for family farms in Serbia and North Macedonia

Serbia and North Macedonia, two Balkan countries situated in Southeast Europe, are strongly affected by extreme weather events. Over the last years, excess rainfall, long-lasting precipitation periods and snowmelt have caused unprecedented floods.

InsuResilience Global Partnership

Documents and publications

7 April 2022

Business relocation as an urban early action: lessons and challenges from a simulation in the Philippines

Outlines lessons from a simulation of relocating urban microenterprises in advance of floods, highlighting critical challenges in the design and execution of urban early actions.

Research briefs

6 April 2022

CABI-led study creates first forecasting models targeting Fall Armyworm larval stages for Africa to help fight against devastating pest

A CABI-led study has developed the first forecasting models targeting the larval stages of fall armyworm– using near real-time earth observation data and pest occurrence within a farmer's field, the models will assist in the fight against the pest.

CAB International

On 23 December 2019, the Hard Rock Hotel building construction collapsed in New Orleans.

Update

6 April 2022

Quantifying frequent building collapse and disaster risk reduction in Nigeria

Over a span of 20 years, Nigeria has witnessed a significant increase in building collapse that has resulted in loss of lives and livelihoods, as well as the displacement of families. The country ranked number one in building collapse Africa.

Brookings Institution, the

Research briefs

31 March 2022

NOC-led study shows that both natural and human factors may have already altered likelihood of storm surge extremes

A Nature-published study led by scientists at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has quantified for the first time that contributions from human activity may have already altered the likelihood of storm surge extremes.

National Oceanography Centre

This image shows the first page of the publication.

Documents and publications

5 April 2022

Climate and disaster risk finance in the IPCC sixth assessment report

This factsheet sheds light on the IPCC’s assessment of the role of Climate and Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance global climate change adaptation. It summarizes the key messages on CDRFI in Working Group II’s contribution.

Research briefs

1 April 2022

‘Flash droughts’ coming on faster, global study shows

Just like flash floods, flash droughts come on fast — drying out soil in a matter of days to weeks. These events can wipe out crops and cause huge economic losses. And according to scientists, the speed at which they dry out the landscape has increased.

The University of Texas at Austin

This image shows a mother with her child sitting in front of their house in Malawi.

Update

23 March 2022

Malawi: Spate of disasters leave communities poorer, more vulnerable

Weeks after the floods, what used to be Chilachila’s village is all covered in sand, with crops either completely washed away or buried in the sand, no farm is spared in the whole area.

Disaster Risk Reduction Network of African Journalists