Global

On 24 July 2024, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) published the groundbreaking Resilience Expenditure Landscape report, marking a significant milestone in tracking global public spending on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA). This first-of-its-kind report offers a comprehensive overview of financial allocations towards building resilience, crucial for mitigating…

Laos is grappling with the aftermath of unprecedented flash floods, which have left a trail of destruction across 14 provinces, displacing tens of thousands and crippling essential infrastructure. Triggered by the intensity of Typhoon Yagi, the floods have affected an estimated 140,000 people, including 60,000 children, as communities face widespread disruption and the challenge of…

On July 3rd, Hurricane Beryl unleashed its fury on Jamaica, bringing fierce winds, torrential rain, and widespread devastation to the island. After wreaking havoc across the eastern Caribbean, where it claimed at least seven lives, Beryl made landfall on Jamaica’s southern coast with winds reaching a terrifying 130 mph (215 km/h). Beryl, now infamous for…

In the wake of catastrophic flooding that devastated Kazakhstan this spring—an event described by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as the worst disaster in over 80 years—the nation is taking bold steps to bolster its flood resilience. Extreme rainfall, coupled with dam breaches and significant snowmelt from the Ural Mountains, wreaked havoc across nearly a third of…

Russia’s Far East is facing a relentless wildfire crisis, with the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) being the latest region to declare a federal state of emergency. The fires, which have already consumed over 830 square kilometers—an area comparable to Berlin or New York—are threatening communities and ecosystems alike. Sakha is not alone in this fiery…

Temperatures are hitting record highs in parts of north and central China this week while a severe drought in the east is also threatening crops, as countries across Asia brace themselves for another summer of extreme weather.China is facing several days of scorching heat, with temperatures set to reach as high as 42 degrees Celsius…

The correlation between rising temperatures and escalating gender-based violence is having a major impact on women and girls worldwide. The effects of heat stress on social dynamics and individual behavior underscore the urgent need for integrated climate and gender-based violence policy interventions.Extreme heat fuels violence in ways that are just beginning to be understood. Rising…

The continuing El Niño weather phenomenon led to record rainfall and flooding beginning April 27, 2024 and continuing through mid-May in Rio Grande do Sul, a state in southern Brazil. Warm water in the Pacific Ocean, affected by El Niño, and very high temperatures in the South Atlantic Ocean contributed to humidity and increased the…

On the first day of 2024, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake was recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) near the northern coast of the Noto Peninsula on the west coast of Honshu, Japan. The Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported the earthquake as magnitude 7.6. According to USGS, it is not uncommon for agencies’ measurements to…

In an era where climate change exacerbates the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, the importance of robust Early Warning Systems (EWS) cannot be overstated. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Istanbul Regional Hub, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, recently conducted…