Science-policy-practice interface

Accounting for the accumulated effects could help governments better assess climate risks and plan adaptation measures, Concordia researchers say

Heavy rainfall can cause spikes in bacterial pollution in bathing waters due to overflows from combined sewer systems (CSOs). Researchers can now track the spread of bacteria from sewer system to coastal waters, enabling prediction of pollution risks.

A hybrid neural network reproduces pushover analysis in about 70 milliseconds, opening the way to city-scale seismic risk mapping.

The greatest disconnect of the academic approach is finance. High-level adaptation funds expect neat, multi-year bankable assets. But for a household in an informal settlement, the financial reality is to enable an annual refurbishment cycle.

What happens when water, ice and more thunder down into a valley?

In response to the devastating disasters that have struck communities across the globe in 2026 and the first quarter of the 21st century, IRDR has issued a new statement, "Advancing Science for Disaster Risk Reduction Towards 2030 and Beyond".

New research shows the most destructive tsunami from Tonga’s 2022 Hunga eruption was triggered by caldera collapse, not an explosion. The collapse generated detectable underwater sound waves that could help provide earlier warnings of volcanic tsunamis.

The new technique would run artificial intelligence on a simulation of what’s called a quantum reservoir computer — that’s a network based on measurements of how atoms interact with each other — to manipulate weather data for pattern discovery.

Currently, water samples must be transported to a laboratory to reveal pollution. But new sensor technology is enabling researchers to measure pesticides in the water on site – and get the results right away.

Virtual simulations spotlight the role human behavior plays in earthquake safety. UC Berkeley researchers are studying what happens in those critical moments and how fear and risk perception influence people’s actions.

AI in combination with practical measures such as regulating wildlife trading — offers a powerful technology for managing zoonotic diseases and reducing the risk of spillover, possibly even preventing outbreaks in the first place

This paper introduces a climate impact taxonomy linking IPCC climate impact-drivers with key climate risks, creating a practical framework for adaptation planning and decision-making.

Today researchers can provide a scientifically grounded answer assessing if climate change made a heat wave hotter, increased rainfall from a hurricane, or made a drought more severe. But answers are not always straightforward, and not equally certain.

Five South American countries are joining forces under a new regional forecasting programme to improve severe weather warnings across the La Plata Basin.

This essay explores a novel approach to reducing the impacts of extreme weather through small, strategically timed atmospheric interventions guided by advanced forecasting.

This casebook highlights the implementation of science and technology-based disaster management, featuring 24 Korean practices across four thematic areas, along with Korea's success factors and remaining challenges. It is available in English and Korean.

This study focuses on the application of advanced data‐driven modeling techniques to assess and predict high‐tide flooding (HTF) risks in Oman. The research analyzes the duration, frequency, and economic impacts of HTF.

This article examines the urgent need for science-based climate policy in Kerala, India, where increasing heat stress, extreme rainfall, floods, landslides and droughts are intensifying climate risks.

This mapping tool is made to support disaster readiness by highlighting communities at risk of dangerous climate effects.

Digital technologies have revolutionized how we live, connect, and work, yet our growing reliance on these systems has created risks that often go unnoticed.

This expert report examines how digital infrastructure, now central to essential services such as healthcare, finance, and emergency response, is creating new forms of systemic risk through increasing interdependence.

This report examines how AI is used in aerial firefighting, highlighting governance, accountability, and data requirements for safe and ethical deployment.

The resource — the first of its kind focused on working grasslands — is designed to track and monitor long-term recovery while supporting farmers, ranchers and land managers as they restore Nebraska’s native grasslands.

If there is a magnitude 8 or 9 megathrust earthquake off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, data from ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) could improve earthquake detection times calculated by the ShakeAlert system.

The report demonstrates how these models capture dynamic interactions between climate stressors, economic conditions, and social perceptions, strengthening risk identification and early warning capacities.

New report shows how closer alignment between scientific estimates and economic modeling of physical risks is possible, as world moves towards 2°C.

European regions along the Atlantic coast are strengthening their capacity to manage geological risks such as landslides and floods through the AGEO project, supported by EU Cohesion Policy

When it comes to preparing cities for the disastrous impacts of climate catastrophes, there is a gaping chasm between ambition and implementation

Citizen science blends community knowledge with digital tools to fill data gaps, improve environmental monitoring, and support better policymaking. It empowers local people, boosts inclusivity, and strengthens climate and water‑management decisions.

This report presents the findings from the first of two activities conducted with the primary aim of gaining insights into the increasing threats posed by wildfire outbreaks to both forests and local communities in Thailand.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly shaping how cities plan and deliver services. The key question is not whether AI will drive India’s climate response, but whether it can do so equitably—protecting women, informal workers, and the urban poor.

To help farmers adapt, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is supporting training in dry farming techniques, zero tillage, and conservation agriculture – practical approaches designed for areas where rainfall is increasingly limited.

China has deployed its first remote-controlled robot for fire prevention, with the crawler-mounted machine tripling firebreak efficiency and eliminating the need for workers to operate near flames.

This article outlines how integrating scientific, practitioner and local knowledge systems can strengthen disaster risk reduction—particularly flood resilience and sustainable solid waste management—in South African urban informal settlements.

With wildfires growing more destructive both in the United States, University at Buffalo researchers have conducted one of the most extensive evaluations to date of artificial intelligence-based deep learning models for predicting wildfire spread.

The U.K. government last year allocated millions of dollars in funding to investigate climate geoengineering. It marked the first time a state funding body had invested significant money in geoengineering research.

Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR), a global scientific programme, invites applications from qualified institutes to become IRDR International Centres of Excellence (IRDR ICoEs).

Behind the long-term climate projections that affect our lives sits one of the most remarkable scientific achievements of the modern era: climate models that run on supercomputers.

Kamal Kishore reflects on the future of disaster risk reduction – a future challenged by growing complexity, but made navigable by new AI-enabled capabilities. We must make the right choices now so that we use AI not only to do more, but to do better.

Climate technology is central to adaptation – allowing communities to, for example, predict and prepare for floods and droughts. A UN-led initiative is showing how much of a difference this can make to people’s lives.

Today, as Guatemala reflects on the 50th anniversary of that defining moment, we honor not only the memory of those affected but the enduring spirit of a country that is beautiful, megadiverse, and full of life.

The EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change has launched a new Mission portal, providing a rich source of information and practical tools for regions, local authorities and communities to understand climate risks.