This Life: When disaster strikes
SAMANTHA ELLEY reflects on the floods that changed her life – and that of many others – in Australia’s Northern Rivers region two years ago…
Essay: When communities face drinking-water crises, bottled water is a ‘temporary’ solution that often lasts years − and worsens inequality
In an article first published on The Conversation, DANIEL JAFFEE, an associate professor of sociology at Portland State University in the US, says bottled water has become the default response in the US to natural disasters and human-made emergencies – and explains why that can be a problem…
“Early warnings save lives”: Disaster deaths decline but damage rises on hotter planet
MD TAHMID ZAMI and MEGAN ROWLING, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, report that early warning systems are saving lives but economic losses are increasing as climate change fuels more extreme weather events…
Disasters caused total of $US122 billion in insured losses in 2022 – Swiss Re
Zurich, SwitzerlandReuters Hurricane Ian and other natural catastrophes have caused an estimated $US115 billion of insured losses so far this year, well above the 10-year average of $US81 billion, Swiss Re estimated on Thursday. Natural and man-made disasters did economic damage of $US268 billion, of which $US122 billion was covered by insurance, making 2022 one […]
Essay: Answering the refugee crisis as a matter of faith
In an article first published on Religion News Service, WASEEM AHMAD, ANNE BURGHARDT, and MARK HETFIELD say faith groups are usually the first responders when people are displaced, and the last…
Human activity is leading to more disasters – UN report
London, UKReuters Human activity is contributing to an increasing number of disasters, with 350 and 500 medium-sized or large disasters a year occurring globally in the past two decades and more frequent events expected, according to a UN report. The number of disasters – many of them weather-related such as fires and floods, but also […]
Challenging times: For US churches hit by disasters, Easter brings promise of hope
LUIS ANDRES HENAO, HOLLY MEYER and PETER ORSI, of Associated Press, report on how four US churches – each of which has been hit by a disaster – are marking Easter this year…
That sinking feeling: Poor nations struggle with UN climate fund
Johannesburg, South AfricaReuters The Philippines has sought financing for seven projects from a UN environmental fund to tackle the catastrophic impact of climate change. Yet only one has secured backing since 2016, and it’s not because the $US17.3 billion fund lacks cash. Bureaucracy and a blizzard of information requests have stalled applications to the UN […]
Weather disasters killed two million in last 50 years, UN agency says
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The number of disasters, such as floods and heatwaves, driven by climate change have increased fivefold over the past 50 years, killing more than two million people and costing $US3.64 trillion in total losses, a UN agency said on Wednesday. The World Meteorological Organization says its “Atlas” is the most comprehensive review of […]
Essay: Seven ways a national COVID-19 day of mourning can help us heal
JAMIE ATEN and KENT ANNAN, of the Humanitarian Diasster Institute at Wheaton College in the US, writing against the backdrop of the first anniversary of the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, look at the importance of publicly marking the anniversaries of disasters and tragedies…