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.

A swollen river in Asayita, Ethiopia due to heavy rainfall

Research briefs

7 December 2023

Compounding natural hazards and high vulnerability led to severe impacts from Horn of Africa flooding exacerbated by climate change and Indian Ocean Dipole

After years of drought the short rainy season in the Horn of Africa brought exceptionally heavy rains, particularly in November, leading to severe flooding in the South of Ethiopia, Eastern Kenya and many regions in southern and central Somalia.

World Weather Attribution

Woman raising her hand against domestic violence

Updates

8 December 2023

As the temperature rises, so do rates of domestic violence

We know extreme heat can pose health risks, especially for vulnerable groups. But increasingly, research is highlighting a relationship between hot temperatures and violence. We found violence increased with warmer weather and the reasons are complex.

Conversation Media Group, the

Rohingya refugee women wait to collect relief aid at the palongkhali makeshift Camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on October 06, 2017

Updates

7 December 2023

Five things to consider on the climate-refugees nexus

As the international community gathers in the United Arab Emirates for COP28, the converging effects of the climate crisis, violent conflicts, and geopolitical upheaval are increasingly clear.

World Bank, the

Two women dressed in the traditional Indian Saree are walking through the narrow streets of the blue city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India.

Blog

08 Dec 2023

Repaul Kanji

The blue houses of Jodhpur: Traditional wisdom for a cooler future

Jodhpur is known as the “Blue City” for its captivating blue-painted houses. But, beyond their visual appeal, these houses hold a hidden secret; a revelation that could pave the way for a cooler, more sustainable urban future.

A man overlooks a wildfire visible from San Francisco under a hazy sky turned orange

Updates

5 December 2023

Rate and impact of climate change surges dramatically in 2011-2020

Continued rising concentrations of greenhouse gases fuelled record land and ocean temperatures and turbo-charged a dramatic acceleration in ice melt and sea level rise, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Updates

30 November 2023

Drought data shows “an unprecedented emergency on a planetary scale”: UN

UNCCD launches ‘Global Drought Snapshot’ report at COP28 in collaboration with International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA).

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

African children fetch water from a water source

Research briefs

6 December 2023

Ocean warming sets the stage for dangerous but predictable East Africa droughts

Scientists have uncovered a connection between temperature gradients in the Pacific Ocean and deadly but predictable consecutive dry spells in East Africa.

Eos - AGU

A closeup of a seismograph machine needle drawing a red line on graph paper

Updates

5 December 2023

Two offshore earthquakes in the Philippines: What do coastal communities need to know?

Magnitude 6.8 and 7.4 earthquakes struck Mindanao Island in the last couple of weeks. The strong ground shaking caused significant structural damage, liquefaction, landslides, sea-level disturbance and tsunamis.

Temblor

Big storm approaching the coastal front in Australia

Updates

4 December 2023

Climate shocks: Estimates of people exposed, vulnerable, and at high risk

More than half the global population – around 4.5 billion people – are at high risk of experiencing an extreme weather event, such as a flood, drought, cyclone, or heatwave.

World Bank, the