Knowledge Base highlights and editors' picks

Top stories and editors' picks from the most recent additions. Explore the whole Knowledge Base.

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.

Antique building view at Dambrovita river in Old Town Bucharest city, Romania.

Update

28 June 2023

EU proposes comprehensive new outlook on threats of climate change and environmental degradation on peace, security and defence

Today, the European Commission and the High Representative adopted a Joint Communication laying out how the EU will address the growing impact of climate change and environmental degradation in the fields of peace, security, and defence.

European Commission

Flood in a mountain produced by a glacial lake outburst

Research briefs

28 June 2023

Mountains vulnerable to extreme rain from climate change

As rising global temperatures shift snow to rain, mountains across the Northern Hemisphere will be hotspots for extreme rainfall events that could trigger floods and landslides – potentially impacting a quarter of the world’s population.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Flood aftermath in West End suburb in Brisbane, Australia on March 1, 2022

Research briefs

16 June 2023

Study: ‘Multiplicity of impact’ from disasters affects Black people most

Rice researchers also examine political consequences of climate-related events.

Rice University

A blazing wildfire starts to encroach on residential areas in Braga, Portugal

Research briefs

23 June 2023

Better predictions of wildfire spread may sit above the treetops

Understanding the physics of wind currents above forest canopies may help wildfire managers forecast the flight paths of dangerous burning embers, or firebrands, which are responsible for most home destruction during wildfires.

Stanford University

Research briefs

27 June 2023

Scientists develop freely available risk model for hurricanes, tropical cyclones

The model could help countries around the world estimate storm impacts and costs.

University of California, Irvine

Update

27 June 2023

Cities need a systems-change approach to build climate-resilient communities

What is the best way for cities to make the changes needed to meet global climate and development goals that would ensure a sustainable and inclusive future? The scale of this challenge calls for intense systems-level urban transformations.

World Resources Institute

Update

26 June 2023

El Niño is about to accelerate the global climate crisis – it's time for action

El Niño has arrived — and it will likely be the hottest in human history. It may already have made its presence felt in the April-May heat wave in Asia. The current heat waves in Mexico and the U.S. bear its imprint too.

Brunel University London

Research briefs

23 June 2023

UCLA geologists are using artificial intelligence to predict landslides

Their newly developed method helps pinpoint which variables are most important in causing the earth to slip.

University of California, Los Angeles

Research briefs

26 June 2023

Water ice society ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Snow and ice in the Hindu Kush Himalaya are fast disappearing, with grave implications for people and nature.

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Destroyed house in Pepinster, Belgium after the July 2021 floods

Research briefs

21 June 2023

New analysis indicates European cities and countries with highest expected losses from future flooding

Flooding - the most expensive natural hazard in Europe - is forecast to worsen in the future due to climatic and socio-economic changes. A new study provides a large-scale risk assessment of flooding in Europe to estimate future flood losses to homes.

European Commission