Items: 468
Pacific Gas & Electric has acknowledged that one of its transmission lines likely sparked the blaze last year that killed 85 people in California and destroyed most of the city of Paradise. Facing billions of dollars in charges for claims connected to fires over the past two years, the company has since announced it will implement more resilience measures.
Houses in flood-hit Townsville and other parts of north Queensland are on track to becoming uninsurable, with flooding already about 20 percent more likely to occur by 2100 than previously thought. Insurance companies, whose general threshold is a one-in-100 year flood event, may stop providing coverage or owners will find cover unaffordable.
Despite dire climate projections, a mix of optimism, opportunism and denial means that developers are still building luxury condominiums in Florida's flood-prone South Beach, and property values are rising in the vulnerable Keys. Elsewhere, developments are spurring climate gentrification at the expense of low-income communities that cannot afford a calamity.
A new study from the Institute for Public Policy Research warns that climate and environmental threats amplify and interact with existing social and economic problems. This convergence can cascade through the globally-linked system and trigger a collapse similar to the 2008 financial crisis. Urgent action is needed but there has been little public debate.
Amid record temperatures, severe flooding and devastating wildfires, the Australian government has refused to acknowledge a possible connection between extreme weather and climate change. Even in Townsville, which was affected but depends on the coal industry, residents are skeptical, in part because climate communication remains difficult for practitioners.
Amid Queensland's destructive floods, many Palm Islanders staying in Townsville were initially not eligible for support payments despite being evacuated. But Australia's Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has announced eligibility changes that could help affected Palm Islanders.
The Indian city of Surat faces a triple flooding threat from the Tapi and the Ukai dam, the Arabian sea, and the 19 miles of creeks that spread through the city. With its soaring population, Sutar is on track to becoming India's eighth megacity, increasing the risk of severe flood losses. Making matters worse, experts predict that future rainfall will intensify.
The organisers of next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo have decided to cut the number of spectators for the sailing events by a third so they can be quickly evacuated to higher ground in the event of a tsunami. The number of spectators off Enoshima island, just south of the Japanese capital, will now be capped at 3,300.
Voluntary Commitments
The organization has no registered commitments.
The Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments (SFVC) online platform allows stakeholders to inform the public about their work on DRR. The SFVC online platform is a useful toolto know who is doing what and where for the implementation of the Sendai Framework, which could foster potential collaboration among stakeholders. All stakeholders (private sector, civil society organizations, academia, media, local governments, etc.) working on DRR can submit their commitments and report on their progress and deliverables.