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Flash flooding, which struck a swathe of southern and eastern England on Friday, is a greater threat to homes, roads and railways than river or coastal flooding. Yet it was completely excluded from the government’s National Flood Resilience Review. Worse, the risk of flash flooding is rising, as climate change leads to more intense, more frequent rainstorms.
Biotech companies and non-profits are investing heavily in drought-resistant crops, but doubts remain over whether they are the best option for farmers. The evidence in favour of drought-resistant seeds is strong, but other crucial steps include good farm management, effective irrigation, suitable crop insurance, and the use of crops suited to the local climate and soil.
Italy is once more facing up to its failure to protect people from seismic disaster. Experts estimate that some 70% of Italy’s buildings are not built to anti-seismic standards with codes routinely not applied to older buildings when they are refurbished, and not respected at all when new ones are built, despite eight devestating earthquakes in past 40 years.
In an attempt to avoid large-scale casualties during earthquakes, Dipecho - the disaster preparedness programme of the EU’s humanitarian aid and civil protection operations - has devised a training programme in primary and secondary schools in Bangladesh. The move follows major earthquakes that have killed thousands of young people globally in school buildings.
In Canada and the US, the Depave movement is tearing up hard surfaces in favour of gardens to soak up rainwater and help prevent flooding. Meanwhile, Britain’s front gardens are being paved for parking while back gardens become patios. As intense rainfalls in Britain are becoming the new norm, gardens are seriously under-rated for flood protection and risk reduction.
Climate-related disasters increase the risk of armed conflicts, with one quarter of the violent struggles in ethnically divided countries preceded by extreme weather. The scientists behind the new research say it could be used to predict where future violence might flare, allowing preventative measures to be taken, with the co-benefit of climate stabilisation: peace.
Seawalls, like dykes, levees and berms, have been used across the world for centuries to protect homes and assets. But they stop the beach from being a dynamic system, in which wind and waves continually reshape the shore. In Australia, seawalls have come under greater scrutiny and there is an ongoing debate to defend, accommodate or retreat.
The UK is poorly prepared for the inevitable impacts of global warming in coming decades, including deadly annual heatwaves, water shortages and difficulties in producing food. Action must be taken now, according to the Committee on Climate Change report published Tuesday, with more widespread flooding and new diseases among the risks in most urgent need of addressing.
Voluntary Commitments
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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.