1. Home
  2. Knowledge Base | PreventionWeb

Research briefs

Keep up to date with the latest research on disaster risk and resilience on the PreventionWeb knowledge base.

Explore cutting-edge research on disaster risk reduction and resilience through PreventionWeb's dedicated research briefs section. Our platform curates and highlights the most recent academic studies, providing valuable insights into disaster risk management. Each research brief distills key findings from peer-reviewed journals and academic publications.

Submit a research brief.

These briefs are designed to keep you informed about the latest scientific advances. Links to the full publications are always included, ensuring easy access to in-depth knowledge. Please note that this section exclusively features academic research, distinct from reports by international organizations or Non-Governmental Organisations.

Uploaded on
Research briefs
Türkiye: Earthquake wall repairs depend on how they cracked

Earthquake-damaged masonry walls need repairs tailored to how they cracked. Walls may slide along joints, rock at the base or develop diagonal cracks, and repairs effective for one type of masonry or damage may not work for another.

Istanbul Technical University
Research briefs
Jamaica: Climate disasters trap nations in a “debt-doom loop”

In a Policy Article, authors use Jamaica’s experience with 2025’s Hurricane Melissa to reveal how extreme weather and disaster spending can trap climate-vulnerable countries in a cycle of recovery borrowing and underinvestment in future climate resilience

American Association for the Advancement of Science
Dramatic skyline of a Copenhagen factory with smoke and wind turbines at sunset.
Research briefs
Europe: Fossil-fueled warming drives surge in heat deaths

Heat-related deaths in Europe’s urban areas exceeded 50,000 in the summer of 2026. More than 32,000 of those deaths were attributable to human-caused global warming, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, according to studies published in Nature Health.

Inside Climate News
Research briefs
Daily weather in glacier models

Running a global glacier model at daily rather than monthly resolution across more than 12,500 glaciers reproduces observed mass loss better and projects a 5 to 10 per cent larger glacier contribution to 21st-century sea-level rise.

ETH Zurich
Research briefs
Why alerts need hazard impact information

An experiment comparing a complete warning message with versions each missing one element found hazard impact had the greatest effect on understanding, belief, personalisation and decision-making – more than the hazard name or guidance.

The Warn Room
A smiling woman in traditional clothing having her blood pressure measured by a healthcare worker.
Research briefs
Countries need structures to turn climate–health goals into impact

Most national climate adaptation plans talk about health – but there are gaps in structures and investment to achieve this crucial strand of climate policy. Policy needs to be translated into action.

London School of Economics and Political Science, the
Research briefs
Australia: How to prepare entire cities for extreme heat

In Australia, days are growing longer and summer is fast approaching. But a very strong El Niño could make this summer a sweltering one. New research examined how the Greater Sydney region is preparing for surging temperatures and more frequent heatwaves.

Conversation Media Group, the
Powerful hurricane Melissa seen from space with a clearly defined eye over the Caribbean sea, Octoner 2025.
Research briefs
Hurricane graphics improve awareness, not risk perception

A study found that updated hurricane forecast graphics help people identify inland watch areas but don't improve risk perception or protective intentions, highlighting the need for clearer local impact information to support safety decisions.

Florida State University