News and announcements

'Pakistan remains vulnerable to climate change and this vulnerability is likely to increasing in the coming decades,' said Chief Guest Brigadier Sajid Naeem, director of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). 'We must all be prepared for a world which is changing'...

Scientists have agreed on a $109 million plan to strengthen the world's biggest seed banks of crops such as rice and wheat to help protect and develop new varieties resistant to climate change and other threats. Sri Lanka, for instance, successfully exploited salt-tolerant strains of rice in a seed bank after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami flooded coastal paddies...

'What amazes me is the resilience of the Australian community and its capacity to band together and rebuild after these catastrophic events,' UNICEF chief executive officer Norman Gillespie said. 'Families are at the forefront of efforts to rebuild homes, businesses and communities,' he said...

Following the recent floods in Eastern Australia, Barbara Norman concludes in her opinion piece on ABC that "We are clearly not managing the impacts of extreme weather today let alone what we may be facing with climate change in the future.' She suggests better urban growth planning to mimimise future damages...

'Recent history is littered with companies that failed to anticipate emerging threats. Water scarcity is one such threat. Thankfully, forward-thinking business leaders are starting to get it. They understand that water risk is one of the top issues that they face,' said Andrew Steer, President, World Resources Institute...

Escalating conflict with Islamic militants in Mali is leading to the suspension of development and aid programmes in the country, threatening efforts to deal with climate change, hunger and other problems, aid and development workers say...

La protection contre les séismes doit encore être renforcée en Suisse. Le Conseil fédéral a dévoilé aujourd’hui les points forts de son programme de mesures de mitigation des séismes pour la période 2013 à 2016. Celui-ci prévoit notamment l’extension du réseau accélérométrique...

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies advocates for a more people-centred approach that is essential to ensure information and warnings captured by satellites, computer modelling and other technologies reach the most vulnerable communities, who can then act on them. Early warnings alone do not keep hazards from turning into disasters...