Knowledge Base highlights and editors' picks

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Every week the PreventionWeb team of editors selects the latest news and research, reports and publications on disaster risk reduction – here is their selection of the latest must-read content.

Update

17 May 2024

The first official anticipatory action activation in Burundi

In 2020, the World Food Programme and the Burundi Red Cross launched a new partnership-based project to develop anticipatory actions for various hazards, including floods caused by extreme rainfall and drought.

Anticipation Hub

Field of dead corals, due to warming oceans

Research briefs

10 May 2024

Ocean warming triggers Indo-Pacific heatwaves

A recent study led by Koll on future projections for the Indian Ocean, published in Science Direct, projects marine heatwaves as increasing from 20 days per year (during 1970–2000) to as much as 250 days per year.

Science and Development Network

Arial view of rainforest jungle in Brasil

Update

17 May 2024

Floods in south Brazil have displaced 600,000 – here’s why this region is likely to see ever more extreme rain in future

In Rio Grande do Sul - an area larger than the UK - is currently affected by unprecedented floods. The flying river has acted like a firehose, fuelling five months of rainfall in just two weeks.

Conversation Media Group, the

Update

17 May 2024

Intense heatwaves make April 2024 the hottest on record

As South and Southeast Asian countries sweltered in extraordinary heat this year, new data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) says that April 2024 is the hottest April on record.

Climate Adaptation Platform

compilation of images of different types of weather like sun and rain separated by diagonal lines

Update

15 May 2024

Global temperature record streak continues, as climate change makes heatwaves more extreme

It was the warmest April on record – the eleventh month in a row of record global temperatures. Sea surface temperatures have been record high for the past 13 months. Extreme weather caused many casualties and socio-economic disruption.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Update

15 May 2024

Longer, more intense fire weather seasons

To investigate trends in fire weather, a key factor of wildfire risk, Climate Central analyzed data from 476 weather stations to assess trends in 245 climate divisions spanning the 48 contiguous U.S. states during the last 51 years (1973-2023).

Climate Central

Research briefs

13 May 2024

The 2024 Europe Report of the Lancet Countdown warns urgent action is needed to protect health from climate change

Climate change is here, in Europe, and it kills. This is the warning of 69 contributors of the 2024 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown , published today in the Lancet Public Health.

Barcelona Institute for Global Health

Green sprout growing on the coals after a fire showing resilience.

Update

15 May 2024

How ‘glowing’ plants could help scientists predict flash drought

In a recent study, a team led by scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California was able to detect signs of flash droughts up to three months before onset. In the future, such advance notice could aid mitigation efforts.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Tree rings show historic climatic changes

Update

14 May 2024

Summer 2023 was northern hemisphere’s hottest for 2,000 years, tree rings show

Across this vast area of land, encompassing Europe, Asia and North America, surface air temperatures were more than 2°C higher in June, July and August 2023 than the average summer temperature between AD1 and 1890, as reconstructed from tree ring records.

Conversation Media Group, the