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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.

Blurry image of a sunny urban skyline
Research briefs

Rural belts around cities can reduce urban temperatures by over 0.5°C

The key to cooling ‘urban heat islands’ may lie in the countryside, according to a new study from scientists at the University of Surrey's Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) and Southeast University (China).
The University Of Surrey
Woman holding two children in a Laotian village
Update

Climate change is affecting child health across 130 countries

Children are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change. Quantifying these negative effects and pinpointing areas where children are at greater risk can help inform evidence-based policymaking.
Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici
Big blue wave
Research briefs

New tool predicts rogue waves up to five minutes in advance

A new tool developed by researchers in the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Department of Mechanical Engineering could help provide ships and offshore platforms with early warning of unusually large and unpredictable waves.
University of Maryland
A family fetches water from a stream during a drought in Madagascar
Research briefs

AI predicts droughts a year in advance

Researchers have proposed deep learning models that predict droughts using climate data. Long-term forecasts of this kind are sought by agricultural producers planning their operations, by insurance companies and banks evaluating climate risks.
Skoltech - Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology
View from above of a river going through a jungle forest
Research briefs

Restoring eroded peatlands could reduce flood risk for communities downstream, say UK researchers

Scientists from The University of Manchester, The University of Aberdeen and Newcastle University have found that the restoration of upland peatlands is a highly effective strategy for reducing downstream flooding.
PhysOrg, Omicron Technology Ltd
Wildfire burning land, photograph taken from above
Update

Igniting change: 5 AI innovations to help extinguish wildfire risks

Artificial intelligence (AI) has had some bad press. However, AI is also showing its value as a transformative technology that could change the way we manage threats. One such threat is wildfire. Discover AI innovations in managing wildfire risk.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Spring flooding along the Ottawa and Bonnechere Rivers, Ottawa Valley, Ontario Canada
Research briefs

Ontario floods: How nature-based solutions can promote effective flood management

This week, large areas of Ontario experienced severe flooding that caused widespread power outages, water damages and disruption. Severe rainfall events are not new, but they are becoming more frequent and costly due to human-caused climate change.
Conversation Media Group, the
Drone image of a river flowing through a dense forest in Vanuatu.
Research briefs

Nature-based solutions to disaster risk from climate change are cost effective, UMass Amherst study confirms

A new global assessment of scientific literature led by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst finds that nature-based solutions (NbS) are an economically effective method to mitigate risks.
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Cover
Documents and publications

Health impacts of climate change: Evidence landscape and role of private sector

This report, prepared by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with L.E.K. Consulting, provides an in-depth analysis of the direct and indirect health impacts of climate change.
Cover
Documents and publications

Guideline on the integration of sand and dust storm management into key policy areas

This comprehensive guideline is designed to raise awareness among policymakers about the significant development challenges posed by Sand and Dust Storms (SDS), which are often inadequately addressed.
illustration
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