Please below a list of links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
South Africa – Homes Destroyed, Lives Lost After Floods in KwaZulu-Natal Province https://floodlist.com/africa/south-africa-floods-kwazulu-natal-june-2023
Record-breaking rainfall hits western Honshu and Kyushu, causes fatalities and damage, Japan https://watchers.news/2023/07/03/record-breaking-rainfall-hits-western-honshu-and-kyushu-causes-fatalities-and-damage-japan/
More than 30 people killed as widespread pre-monsoon rains hit Pakistan https://watchers.news/2023/07/03/more-than-30-people-killed-as-widespread-pre-monsoon-rains-hit-pakistan/
Large tornado rips through central Alberta, destroying 5 homes and damaging 12, Canada https://watchers.news/2023/07/03/large-tornado-rips-through-central-alberta-destroying-5-homes-and-damaging-12-canada/
Heavy rainfall triggers deadly landslide in Dalat City, Vietnam https://watchers.news/2023/06/30/heavy-rainfall-triggers-deadly-landslide-in-dalat-city-vietnam/
What we’re watching: Weekly disaster update, July 3 https://disasterphilanthropy.org/blog/what-were-watching-weekly-disaster-update-july-3/
Historic June heat followed by record-breaking July rains in Queensland, Australia https://watchers.news/2023/07/04/historic-june-heat-followed-by-record-breaking-july-rains-in-queensland-australia/
Deadly flash floods sweep Lahore after record rainfall, Pakistan https://watchers.news/2023/07/05/deadly-flash-floods-sweep-lahore-after-record-rainfall-pakistan/
Storm Poly – Strongest summer storm on record hits the Netherlands https://watchers.news/2023/07/05/storm-poly-strongest-summer-storm-on-record-hits-the-netherlands/
Canada’s record wildfire season set to worsen as heat builds https://www.afr.com/world/north-america/canada-s-record-wildfire-season-set-to-worsen-as-heat-builds-20230707-p5dmfg
Volcanic activity worldwide 6 Jul 2023: Fuego volcano, Klyuchevskoy, Popocatépetl, Reykjanes https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/215356/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-6-Jul-2023-Fuego-volcano-Klyuchevskoy-Popocatepetl-Reykjanes-Reven.html
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Climate graphic of the week: Deadly ‘heat dome’ takes toll on US south and Mexico https://www.ft.com/content/9a7edd5f-969d-4f24-b01d-ea1ebd550842
U.S. Wind and Solar Overtake Coal for the First Time https://e360.yale.edu/digest/us-wind-solar-coal-power-generation-2023
2023 Weather, Climate and Catastrophe Report: APAC Insights https://aoninsights.com.au/2023-weather-climate-and-catastrophe-report-apac-insights/
Pressure builds for FEMA to declare deadly heat events as disasters https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/06/29/fema-heat-waves-disasters/
Will El Niño on top of global heating create the perfect climate storm? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/03/a-perfect-storm-scientists-ponder-if-climate-has-entered-a-new-erratic-era
Wind and solar reached a record 12% of global electricity in 2022, and power sector emissions may have peaked https://ember-climate.org/insights/research/global-electricity-review-2023/
A global assessment of estuarine tidal response to sea level rise https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723036343
Monday was hottest day for global average temperature on record, as climate crisis bites https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/04/monday-was-hottest-day-for-global-average-temperature-on-record-as-climate-crisis-bites
World Meteorological Organization declares onset of El Niño conditions https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/world-meteorological-organization-declares-onset-of-el-ni%C3%B1o-conditions
Anthropogenic warming has exacerbated droughts in southern Europe since the 1850s https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-023-00907-1
Climate change is making NJ and NY into wildfire hotspots https://gothamist.com/news/climate-change-is-making-nj-and-ny-into-wildfire-hotspots
Increases in short duration (<1 h) annual maximum rainfall are greater than increases in long duration (>1 h) annual maxima across Australia from 1967 to 2021 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022169423008144
Adapting: starting from where? The case study of Venice for a multi-risk adaptation https://www.cmcc.it/article/adapting-starting-from-where-the-case-study-of-venice-for-a-multi-risk-adaptation
Ocean temperatures around Australia the hottest for any June as UN declares an El Niño https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/05/ocean-temperatures-around-australia-the-hottest-for-any-june-as-un-declares-an-el-nino
Three things to know: Climate change’s impact on extreme weather events https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/three-things-know-climate-changes-impact-extreme-weather-events
AI, Digital Twins to Unleash Next Wave of Climate Research Innovation https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2023/07/03/climate-research-next-wave/
FAQ 5: What strategies could increase the climate resilience of people and nature? https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/about/frequently-asked-questions/keyfaq5/
Earlier collapse of Anthropocene ecosystems driven by multiple faster and noisier drivers https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-023-01157-x
UK plans to drop flagship £11.6bn climate pledge https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/04/revealed-uk-plans-to-drop-flagship-climate-pledge-rishi-sunak
Humanitarians and the Climate Emergency https://gppi.net/2023/06/28/humanitarians-and-the-climate-emergency
El Niño + climate change = heat records https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/05/politics/heat-el-nino-climate-what-matters/index.html
It’s official: Australia is set for a hot, dry El Niño. Here’s what that means for our flammable continent https://theconversation.com/its-official-australia-is-set-for-a-hot-dry-el-nino-heres-what-that-means-for-our-flammable-continent-209126
Predicting the future of coastlines https://www.cmcc.it/article/predicting-the-future-of-coastlines
Financial models on climate risk ‘implausible’, say actuaries https://www.ft.com/content/a5027391-41a4-4e21-a72d-f8189d6a7b71
Decades of less rainfall have cut replenishing of groundwater to 800-year low in WA https://theconversation.com/decades-of-less-rainfall-have-cut-replenishing-of-groundwater-to-800-year-low-in-wa-208751
It was the hottest June on record, unprecedented North Atlantic warmth, record low Antarctic sea ice https://public.wmo.int/en/media/news/it-was-hottest-june-record-unprecedented-north-atlantic-warmth-record-low-antarctic-sea-0
German citizens set up heatwave helpline amid rising temperatures https://www.euronews.com/2023/07/04/german-citizens-set-up-heatwave-helpline-amid-rising-temperatures
Coevolution of Extreme Sea Levels and Sea-Level Rise Under Global Warming https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023EF003649
Identifying loss and damage is tough – we need a pragmatic but science-based approach https://www.climatechangenews.com/2023/07/05/identifying-loss-and-damage-definition-war/
Indigenous Practice and Community-Led Climate Change Solutions https://www.routledge.com/Indigenous-Practice-and-Community-Led-Climate-Change-Solutions-The-Relevance/Datta-Muthukrishnan/p/book/9781032484365
Climate change vicious cycle spirals in Latin America and Caribbean https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/climate-change-vicious-cycle-spirals-latin-america-and-caribbean
The projected costs of this summer’s extreme heat: 235,000 ER visits, 56,000 hospital admissions—and $1 billion https://thebulletin.org/2023/07/the-projected-costs-of-this-summers-extreme-heat-235000-er-visits-56000-hospital-admissions-and-1-billion/
Disaster risk reduction
What is the difference between deterministic and probabilistic risk? https://www.preventionweb.net/understanding-disaster-risk/key-concepts/deterministic-probablistic-risk
Tornado team sweeps into Manitoba as part of national effort to boost safety, grow understanding of twisters https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/northern-tornadoes-project-manitoba-storms-june-2023-1.6891274
It’s time to modernize flood insurance — we can’t not afford to https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/4075951-its-time-to-modernize-flood-insurance-we-cant-not-afford-to/
Expanding large-scale agriculture is escalating flooding in the largest South American breadbasket https://www.preventionweb.net/news/expanding-large-scale-agriculture-escalating-flooding-largest-south-american-breadbasket
Kashmir: Can traditional housing mitigate quake damage? https://www.dw.com/en/kashmir-can-traditional-construction-mitigate-quake-damage/a-66069320
London’s burning? UK seeks to snuff out rising wildfire threat https://www.context.news/climate-risks/londons-burning-uk-seeks-to-snuff-out-rising-wildfire-threat
The Yellowstone volcanic system has hosted some very large eruptions. But there have been much larger volcanic explosions in geologic history—including several in the western USA https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/pantheon-caldera-eruptions-where-does-yellowstone-rank
The Coastline Paradox https://sketchplanations.com/the-coastline-paradox
On-Again, Off-Again Lake Cahuilla Likely Enhanced Earthquakes in Southern California https://eos.org/articles/on-again-off-again-lake-cahuilla-likely-enhanced-earthquakes-in-southern-california
Experiment in Brazil identifies flood-prone areas of cities https://phys.org/news/2023-06-brazil-flood-prone-areas-cities.html
New research finds Mount Fuji may have erupted more often than previously thought https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/06/30/national/science-health/mount-fuji-eruption-history-frequent/
Italy’s new seismic hazard map is back to square one https://www.nature.com/articles/d43978-023-00072-1
Satellite-based disaster early warning systems can improve evacuation measures in remote Asian communities https://phys.org/news/2023-07-satellite-based-disaster-early-evacuation-remote.html
Human exposure to wildfires has more than doubled in two decades – read this if you’re planning fireworks on July 4 https://theconversation.com/human-exposure-to-wildfires-has-more-than-doubled-in-two-decades-read-this-if-youre-planning-fireworks-on-july-4-207903
Good Practices for Disaster Risk Management of Cultural Heritage https://www.routledge.com/Good-Practices-for-Disaster-Risk-Management-of-Cultural-Heritage-Practices/Jigyasu-Kim-Shakya/p/book/9781032411446
Focus on flood mapping in Canada https://issuu.com/iclr/docs/flood-mapping_2019
Human-Driven Fire Regime Change in the Seasonal Tropical Forests of Central Vietnam https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022GL100687
‘Not listening’: Traditional Owners ask Plibersek to hear them on water rights https://www.crikey.com.au/2023/07/04/water-rights-nt-traditional-owners-plibersek/
A long-term view of tropical cyclone risk in Australia https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/long-term-view-tropical-cyclone-risk-australia
Fundamental limits to flood inundation modelling https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-023-00106-4#article-info
Triggering Anticipatory Action for Floods in Nepal https://centre.humdata.org/triggering-anticipatory-action-for-floods-in-nepal/
Discrete magma injections drive the 2021 La Palma eruption https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg4813
Lasering lava to forecast volcanic eruptions https://stories.uq.edu.au/news/2023/lasering-lava-to-forecast-volcanic-eruptions/index.html
New AI systems could speed up our ability to create weather forecasts https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/07/05/1075897/new-ai-systems-could-speed-up-our-ability-to-create-weather-forecasts/
Emergency management
What causes wildfires in British Columbia? https://wildfiresituation.nrs.gov.bc.ca/currentStatistics
Greek Fire Service team trains in US https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1214153/greek-fire-service-team-trains-in-us/
Turning multidimensional crisis into an opportunity to address compounding disaster-conflict risks https://blogs.worldbank.org/sustainablecities/turning-multidimensional-crisis-opportunity-address-compounding-disaster-conflict
COVID: how incorrect assumptions and poor foresight hampered the UK’s pandemic preparedness https://theconversation.com/covid-how-incorrect-assumptions-and-poor-foresight-hampered-the-uks-pandemic-preparedness-208720
Social media in disaster management: review of the literature and future trends through bibliometric analysis https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11069-023-06079-7
Locally-led humanitarian response is widely regarded as more effective https://disasterphilanthropy.org/resources/localization/
Wildfire fighters work in heavy smoke, and in Canada have little protection https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/wildfire-fighters-smoke-protection-1.6897879
Disaster education, communications and engagement
UNDRR supports the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction through systematic and structured engagement with a wide range of stakeholders https://www.undrr.org/implementing-sendai-framework/partners-and-stakeholders
Media and non-media sources for disaster risk reduction https://www.ojcmt.net/article/media-and-non-media-sources-for-disaster-risk-reduction-13095
Understanding and combatting misinformation across 16 countries on six continents https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01641-6
Indigenous Peoples and Disaster Risk Reduction: Participation for all https://www.undrr.org/indigenous-peoples-and-disaster-risk-reduction-participation-all
Disaster psychology
Domestic violence to rise as subcontinent heats up: Study https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/domestic-violence-to-rise-as-subcontinent-heats-up-study-90313
Climate disasters, traumatic events have long-term impacts on youths’ academics https://www.psu.edu/news/agricultural-sciences/story/climate-disasters-traumatic-events-have-long-term-impacts-youths/
Sociology and disasters
How social infrastructure saves lives: a quantitative analysis of Japan’s 3/11 disasters https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/japanese-journal-of-political-science/article/how-social-infrastructure-saves-lives-a-quantitative-analysis-of-japans-311-disasters/4BD3AA196B334A23F0B749E85AE4E38F#article
Mobility Behaviors Shift Disparity in Flood Exposure in U.S. Population Groups https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372075273_Mobility_Behaviors_Shift_Disparity_in_Flood_Exposure_in_US_Population_Groups
Empowering vulnerable communities in the face of growing natural threats https://earth.stanford.edu/news/empowering-vulnerable-communities-face-growing-natural-threats