Knowledge Base highlights and editors' picks

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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.

Update

1 March 2022

IPCC report: Half the world is facing water scarcity, floods and dirty water — large investments are needed for effective solutions

Water is central to the discussions about how societies, economies and governments adapt to climate change, and the vast majority of adaptation strategies already in place are water related.

Conversation Media Group, the

Masai Shepherd with herd of cows on African savannah in Kenya.

Update

28 February 2022

Mass starvation, extinctions, disasters: the new IPCC report’s grim predictions, and why adaptation efforts are falling behind

Even if we manage to stop the planet warming beyond 1.5℃ this century, we will still see profound impacts to billions of people on every continent and in every sector, and the window to adapt is narrowing quickly.

Conversation Media Group, the

Emergency flash flood alert after heavy downpour displayed on smartphone.

Research briefs

28 February 2022

Hot on the presses: Capturing an audience during high heat emergencies

It's hard to get heard on social media, even when the message is a warning from the National Weather Service about excessive heat. New research explores strategies for better dissemination of weather-emergency messaging.

Utah State University

Old colonial buildings on a street in downtown Hoi An, Vietnam along the Thu Bon River flooded during the 2021 rainy season

Update

27 February 2022

Limiting the damage: UN helps policy-makers tackle climate change

As extreme weather events become common, threatening communities and economies across the world, the UN is helping policy-makers and leaders by projecting the impact of future climate hazards, and recommending the best, most cost-effective ways to adapt.

United Nations - Headquarters

Vehicles try to drive through a flooded street in Dhaka, Bangladesh (2020)

Update

28 February 2022

Climate change: a threat to human wellbeing and health of the planet. Taking action now can secure our future

Human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Documents and publications

28 February 2022

Climate change 2022: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability

The Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report assesses the impacts of climate change, looking at ecosystems, biodiversity, and human communities at global and regional levels.

Documents and publications

27 February 2022

Nationally determined contributions in Asia: Are governments recognizing the rights, roles and contributions of indigenous peoples?

This report synthesises the findings from 10 country-level reports which examine how the rights, roles and knowledge of indigenous men, women, youth, and persons with disabilities are addressed in national-level climate policies and plans.

Update

24 February 2022

Wealthy countries still haven’t met their $100 billion pledge to help poor countries face climate change, and the risks are rising

Wealthy countries pledged to mobilize US$100 billion a year to help poorer countries deal with climate change. They now project that they won’t meet that pledge until 2023 – three years late and still woefully short of the real need.

Conversation Media Group, the

Firefighters battle to extinguish a wildfire in Peloponnese, Greece (2021)

Update

23 February 2022

Number of wildfires to rise by 50% by 2100 and governments are not prepared, experts warn

New report calls for a radical change in government spending on wildfires, shifting their investments from reaction and response to prevention and preparedness.

United Nations Environment Programme

Two African Women Weeding A Salad Plantation In a West African Farming Village

Update

23 February 2022

Rethinking risk can unshackle Africa’s small scale farmers from the grip of poor weather

Right now, countries in the Horn of Africa are in the midst of a multi-season drought. There have also been years in which the rains have come with such force that floods wash out the season’s labour, sometimes along with homes.

Conversation Media Group, the