From floods and fires to locusts, ‘climate breakdown’ cost rich and poor in 2020
Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation Disasters fuelled by weather and climate extremes brought “catastrophic results for millions” across rich and poor nations in 2020, causing thousands of deaths and tens of billions of dollars in losses, charity Christian Aid said on Monday. In a report, the aid agency identified 15 of the most destructive climate disasters of […]
“Rising” anew: After church fire in New York, advice from houses of worship that have survived disaster
In light of the recent fire at the historic Middle Collegiate Church in New York, ADELLE M BANKS, of Religion News Service, reports on how it – and other houses of worship in the US – have responded in the aftermath of disaster…
DISASTER RESPONSE: BURNED BY WILDFIRE LOSSES, INSURANCE INDUSTRY RETHINKS RISKS
LAURIE GOERING, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how insurance companies are looking to the future in the face of rising economic costs from disasters…
Last decade most expensive for natural disasters – report
London, UKReuters The last decade was the worst on record for economic losses from natural disasters, amounting to $US3 trillion – over a trillion more than the previous decade, insurance broker Aon said on Wednesday. The Asia-Pacific region was the worst-hit in the 2010-2019 period, accounting for 44 per cent of the total, with earthquakes, […]
ESSAY: THE SCIENCE OF SPIRITUAL FORTITUDE – THE KEY TO ENDURING FAITH
In an article first published on Religion News Service, JAMIE ATEN, author and founder and executive director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College, looks at the ideas of resilience and its Biblical counterpart, “spiritual fortitude”…
MOBILE PHONE WARNINGS SET TO AID CLIMATE-VULNERABLE SOMALI NOMADS
ROSA FURNEAUX, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on a new initiative to help Somalis when disaster strikes…
Poor nations pay price as millions flee “climate chaos”, Oxfam says
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Fiercer weather and worsening wildfires drove more than 20 million people a year from their homes over the last decade – a problem set to worsen unless leaders act swiftly to head off surging climate threats, anti-poverty charity Oxfam said on Monday. Much of the displacement caused by cyclones, floods and […]
Women and men found to respond differently in disasters
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation Women and men caught up in disasters respond differently, with women quick to take shelter or prepare to evacuate, but often struggling to persuade the men in their families to do so, research suggests. Traditional gender roles also emerge after a disaster with women becoming the homemaker while men take charge of finances and […]
Conflict and disaster force millions from their homes
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation Conflict and disasters forced nearly 11 million people from their homes in the first half of this year, a global monitoring group said on Thursday, warning mass displacement was becoming “the norm”. Natural disasters such as cyclones and floods caused seven million people to leave their homes, while a further 3.8 million […]
From drones to social media, big data helps confront more complex disasters in Asia
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Technological innovations – from unique digital identities for drought-hit farmers to use of data from drones and social media – can better predict increasingly complex disasters in the Asia-Pacific region and limit their impact on vulnerable people, the United Nations said in a report on Thursday. Rising global temperatures have increased the frequency and […]