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The Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments (SFVC) online platform allows stakeholders to inform the public about their work on DRR. The SFVC online platform is a useful toolto know who is doing what and where for the implementation of the Sendai Framework, which could foster potential collaboration among stakeholders. All stakeholders (private sector, civil society organizations, academia, media, local governments, etc.) working on DRR can submit their commitments and report on their progress and deliverables.
Items: 2050
One year after Maria, nearly every pillar of Puerto Rican society remains devastated and pre-existing problems are exacerbated. The island is still struggling with economic, health, electrical, educational, and governance challenges with no imminent solutions in sight.
Before the Internet emerged, weather observation and prediction models traveled on government-restricted proprietary circuits. But now that so much weather data is publicly available online, the explosion of social media guarantees that thousands of observers are monitoring forecasters to ensure accuracy and objectivity.
While AI can help us manage disasters, it still cannot supersede human discretion. AI's algorithms mimic human judgments but the quality of its monitoring is lower even though it can quickly process more information.
Human health is influenced by environmental factors, social disparities, and climate change. Environmental changes have undone decades of investment in infectious disease control, while inequality influences people’s exposure to vector-borne diseases and environmentally sensitive infections. Climate change destabilizes food security by affecting weather patterns.
Transferring water from the environment to farmers could backfire because the environment needs water in dry years as well as wet ones. Moreover, intervening in the water distribution undermines the water market, which is now worth billions. In dry years, the environment also gets a smaller allocation, so there isn’t enough water to make transferring worthwhile.
Hurricane Maria's fatality count alone is inadequate for understanding the depth of the disaster still unfolding in Puerto Rico. Even if the fatality count had been 64, as the original death count indicated, a strong response would have been necessary to prevent people’s lives from being irreparably upended. Instead, the poor response only caused more fatalities.
Places adjacent to the sea are not the only danger zones during hurricanes. Inland river flooding from hurricanes is a major risk, particularly in areas with dense populations. Hurricane evacuations typically direct coastal residents to retreat inland, but river flooding can put them at risk if shelters and accommodations are not situated safely.
Coastal areas are sensitive to climate change impacts, which are likely to worsen flooding and erosion. While planning for relocation is problematic because there are large uncertainties concerning climate change predictions, many communities have successfully relocated. Open and inclusive debates about relocating and its pros and cons can change people’s opinions.
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