“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…
Australia’s natural disasters bill hits $A5 billion in 2022, billions more to come
Sydney, Australia Reuters Floods and natural disasters that hit all but one Australian state and territory in 2022 cost the economy $A5 billion and stoked inflation according to Treasury estimates which forecast billions more spending in 2023. Australia suffered four major bouts of flooding last year, with global reinsurer Munich Re estimating that February and […]
Climate inaction – and ‘dramatic’ consequences – top global threat list
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Governments are struggling to adopt climate-smart policies as COVID-19 hits economic activity and forces them to focus instead on tackling surging social inequality, the World Economic Forum said on Tuesday. Failure to implement emissions-cutting pledges and the “dramatic consequences” in terms of devastating floods, storms and wildfires are now the world’s […]
From home to rubble: growing weather risk fuels Mexico landslides
Mexico City, MexicoReuters The landslide that hit the Cerro del Chiquihuite hill on the edge of Mexico City on 10th September buried Eustacia Angel Valentin’s home and three other houses, killing four people and forcing over 140 families to relocate. It was just one of scores of natural disasters to strike Mexico in the past […]
Essay: Six ways satellites make the world a better place
In an article first published on The Conversation, CLARA MCGRATH, of the University of Strathclyde, on some of the benefits satellites around the Earth are delivering…
Code red: UN calls for urgent shift to planet-friendly development
Barcelona, Spain Thomson Reuters Foundation Under huge pressure from COVID-19, climate change and natural destruction, warning lights for the planet and societies are “flashing red” – and now is the time to choose a safer, fairer path for human development, the United Nations said on Tuesday. “We are at an unprecedented moment in the history […]
Postcards: Colombia’s Cartagena seeks to clean up corruption blocking climate plans
ANASTASIA MOLONEY, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on efforts to ensure the city of Cartagena is better prepared for future disasters…
Australian youth concerned over climate change and natural disasters – but don’t feel prepared or that government listens to them
Some two-thirds of young people in Australia believe the country is not doing enough to reduce carbon emissions – but almost 90 per cent don’t feel like or don’t know if government leaders listen to them, according to the findings of a new survey. YOUNGER VOICES Alex Matters, 19, is from South Australia, but […]
Virtual reality helps scare residents to flee looming storms, research says
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation Virtual reality simulations work better than traditional alerts in motivating people to evacuate ahead of hurricanes, researchers said last week, part of efforts to improve alert methods as the risk of extreme weather increases. Typically utilising headsets for viewers to look into, dramatic simulations can create a heightened sense […]
NASA turns its focus to Earth with aid partnership
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation NASA is using its satellites to solve humanitarian challenges in some of the most fragile places on earth under a landmark partnership with aid agency Mercy Corps. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration will use its wealth of data to help communities at risk from climate change and natural disasters predict […]