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.

Two Sudanese women working on the fields.

Update

17 November 2023

Climate change and farming: economists warn more needs to be done to adapt in sub-Saharan Africa

Agriculture contributes up to 60% of some sub-Saharan countries' gross domestic product. But the sector is highly vulnerable to climate change and this vulnerability is particularly marked because of the regions slow rate of technological advancement.

Conversation Media Group, the

Update

15 November 2023

Satellite data can help limit the dangers of windblown dust

Dust storms present a growing threat to the health and safety of U.S. populations. A new model, powered by NASA and NOAA satellite data, provides important early warnings.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

A waste picker walking on the street in Brazil

Research briefs

16 November 2023

Waste pickers bearing brunt of extreme weather events

Brazilian study shows why waste pickers are essential to climate adaptation planning.

Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) Limited

A satellite image of a cyclone shot from space.

Update

16 November 2023

United Nations and government of Fiji launch ground-breaking anticipatory action framework for tropical cyclones

The United Nations, in close collaboration with the Government of Fiji, is launching the Anticipatory Action Framework for Tropical Cyclones in Fiji, a The ground-breaking project aims to provide assistance to people before cyclones make landfall.

United Nations - Headquarters

Forecast-based financing rollout, Uganda, 2015

Update

16 November 2023

New report shows pre-arranged financing accounted for just 2.7% of the total USD71 billion in crisis financing flows in 2021

The Centre for Disaster Protection's inaugural annual report shows total share of 2.7% of the USD71 billion international crisis financing was used for pre-arranged finance in 2021, and just 0.2% of humanitarian funding went to anticipatory action.

Centre for Disaster Protection

Research briefs

15 November 2023

New study finds continued loss of coastal ecosystems may jeopardize millions of lives in the face of tropical storms

Research suggests an urgent need for conservation and nature-based solutions as human reliance on coastal ecosystems for protection increases.

Nature Conservancy, the

Update

13 November 2023

Recording and cataloguing hazards and their impacts: balances, challenges and perspectives

Increasing countries’ capabilities to collect, analyse, manage and use data about high-impact meteorological events is essential for building robust databases that can provide the information needed to assess risk, vulnerability, capacities and exposure.

Anticipation Hub

Update

14 November 2023

Sand and dust storm frequency increasing in many world regions, UN warns

Accompanied by policy recommendations, a five-day meeting is taking place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan to take stock of global progress in the UN Convention to Combate Desertification's implementation.

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

A forest in the form of lungs that is slowly burning.

Update

15 November 2023

Lancet Countdown report calls for climate-driven health action

The 8th annual report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change sheds light on the alarming convergence of factors that jeopardize the well-being of individuals, public health, and healthcare systems on a global scale.

World Health Organization (WHO)

Update

14 November 2023

This is the world’s hottest autumn on record – and it’s impacting the climate system and human society

We are still getting used to a “new normal” of devastating summer heatwaves. But the effects of a warming climate are being felt throughout the year, and recent autumn months have been further off the charts than ever.

Conversation Media Group, the