Monthly Archives: May 2024

Disaster Risk Reduction and Open Data Newsletter: May 2024 Edition

How Insurers Game Out Disaster Risk and Drop Customers 

Rising losses from storms and hurricanes are prompting insurers to increase rates and curtail coverage. CSAA Insurance Group refused to renew its policy this year on the home that Ronnie de Supinski owns with her husband, Bronis, in Livermore, Calif. The reason given? Wildfire risk. The wildfire-risk score sent by CSAA? Zero.

How African cities can learn from each other about building climate resilience

More necessary than ever, communities must come closer together, share goals, knowledge, and ideas, and co-create innovative solutions to climate change. Here’s how some cities in Africa have responded to climate shocks and what others can learn from their experiences and better understand how to build a future of shared climate resilience and prosperity.

Hidden threat: Global underground infrastructure vulnerable to sea-level rise 

As sea levels rise, coastal groundwater is lifted closer to the ground surface while also becoming saltier and more corrosive. A recent study by earth scientists at the University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa compiled research from experts worldwide showing that in cities where there are complex networks of buried and partially buried infrastructure, interaction with this shallower and saltier groundwater exacerbates corrosion and failure of critical systems such as sewer lines, roadways, and building foundations.

USGS deploys “aftershock kits” to study Whitehouse Station earthquakes 

A U.S. Geological Survey team has begun a seismic sensor deployment to capture aftershock data following the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that rattled New Jersey April 5, 2024, and was felt for hundreds of miles. The team is deploying eight “aftershock kits” this week, which will gather information such as where aftershocks originate in the area, how long they last, and their magnitude, said Greg Tanner, a USGS electronics technician.

Côte d’Ivoire launches NAP communication strategy and digital campaign to engage youth in climate change adaptation 

Côte d’Ivoire is currently preparing to launch its first national NAP document, which is expected to be validated by the minister in the coming month. Recognizing that the country will not achieve its climate ambitions without bringing all actors and citizens into the NAP process, the Côte d’Ivoire government has worked in parallel on their first NAP communication strategy, published in April 2024. The main objective of the strategy is to inform and raise awareness of the NAP’s priorities among all stakeholders.

Lessons on resilience from a year of global earthquakes 

Rapid population growth in disaster-prone regions concentrates people where recovery after extreme events is costly. Thanks to Japan’s years of planning, preparations, and implementation of resilient building strategies, the country has become adept at mitigating the effects of significant earthquakes.

Study identifies increased threat to coastlines from concurrent heat waves and sea level rises 

Concurrent occurrences of heat waves and extreme short-term sea level rises at the same coastal locations significantly increased between 1998 and 2017 when compared to the preceding 20 years, reports a study published in Communications Earth & Environment. The study also suggests that these events may be five times more likely to occur between 2025 and 2049 under a modeled high emissions scenario.

A new paradigm in Climate Finance 

By embracing an equitable, empowering paradigm, this fund can deliver on international commitments and empower those most affected to forge climate-resilient futures.

The Frontline Scorecard: An Assessment Tool for Climate and Disaster Risk Management in Health Systems 

Health care systems are at the frontline of delivering critical care during emergencies, mitigating illnesses and deaths. Yet many countries struggle to meet even routine demands for health care. Climate change, disasters, pandemics, and demographic changes are bound to increase pressures on already strained health systems.

Spatiotemporal link between El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), extreme heat, and thermal stress in the Asia–Pacific region 

This study evaluated the air temperature and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) trends between 1990 and 2019 and found significant increasing trends for air temperature for the whole region while the increases of UTCI are not as pronounced and mainly found in the northern part of the region. These results indicate that even though air temperature is increasing, the risks of heat stress when assessed using UTCI may be alleviated by other factors.

Australian Data Strategy 

The Digital Economy Strategy sets out the Government’s goal to position Australia as a leading digital economy and society by 2030 in order to create better jobs; improve transport, communication and innovation, and enable us to provide better services to all Australians from all walks of life. Data is the building block for this digital future, with 176 zettabytes of new data expected to be generated each year by 2025. Some Australian businesses already use data to create new value, streamline processes and optimise value chains.

Local governments climate finance instruments – Global experiences and prospects in developing countries. 

This report aims to contribute to discussions on increasing the access of local governments (LGs) and cities to climate finance and help LGs understand various financing instruments and sources available to them to meet climate investment needs. It organizes these instruments in a conceptual framework and provides information on each, along with case studies presenting international experiences with their use.

The risk of concurrent heatwaves and extreme sea levels along the global coastline is increasing. 

This study finds that 87.73% of coastlines experienced such concurrent extremes during 1979–2017. There is an average increase of 3.72 days in the occurrence during 1998–2017 compared to 1979–1998. Concurrent heatwaves and extreme sea levels could pose a serious threat to coastal communities under climate change; however, the spatiotemporal characteristics and dynamic evolution of them along global coastline remain poorly understood.

Integrating social vulnerability into high-resolution global flood risk mapping. 

The study aims to identify and characterize ‘hotspots’ of flood risk, accounting for spatial variation in social vulnerability, to provide improved insights into the geography of risk and enhance disaster risk planning and response efforts, particularly in lower income countries with limited data or capacity. Exposure to flooding is greatest in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and this is expected to increase because of rapid demographic change.

Impact of climate change on the corrosion of the European reinforced concrete building stock. 

The study provides assessment of the penetration of climate change induced carbonation in the concrete cover of the existing buildings in the EU Member States. It estimates the time for on-set of corrosion due to depletion of the cover of the reinforcement, and evaluates the repair costs under the moderate emissions scenario RCP4.5, and under the extreme scenario RCP8.5.

The AI for Good Global Summit  

The AI for Good Global Summit is the leading action-oriented United Nations platform promoting AI to advance health, climate, gender, inclusive prosperity, sustainable infrastructure, and other global development priorities.

SIDS4 – Investing in Resilience – The Good Business Case for Disaster Risk Reduction in Small Island Developing States 

This event will delve into the vital role of disaster risk reduction in implementing the new programme of action for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), attracting both existing and new partners, and fostering a risk-informed and resilience-focused approach to investment in SIDS.

9th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum 2024) 

The ninth annual Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum) will be held from 9 to 10 May 2023. In line with recent mandates and as in previous years, the STI Forum will facilitate discussions on science, technology and innovation cooperation in support of the SDGs.

Finance Innovation Festival – Insurance and Investment Opportunities for Nature-Based Solutions 

The festival aims to bring together various communities involved in climate risk assessment, policy analysis, financial innovation, and advocacy for nature-based solutions.

The Central Asia Climate Change Conference 2024 

In 2024, the Central Asia Climate Change Conference (CACCC-2024) will delve into critical issues pertaining to water, energy, food security, and environmental sustainability within the context of a climate-affected Central Asia. Participants will be apprised of the progress made by Central Asian countries in climate mitigation and adaptation, including their reporting under the Enhanced Transparency Framework.

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April 2024: Publications in the Data Science Journal

Title: Are Researchers Citing Their Data? A Case Study from The U.S. Geological Survey
Author: Grace C. Donovan, Madison L. Langseth
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2024-024
Title: Detailed Implementation of a Reproducible Machine Learning-Enabled Workflow
Author: Kenneth E. Schackart III, Heidi J. Imker, Charles E. Cook
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2024-023
Title:State of the Data: Assessing the FAIRness of US Geological Survey Data
Author: Vivian B. Hutchison, Tamar Norkin, Lisa S. Zolly, Leslie Hsu
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2024-022
Title: Road to a Chemistry-Specific Data Management Plan
Author: Ann-Christin Andres, Daniela Adele Hausen, Jochen Ortmeyer, Sonja Herres-Pawlis
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2024-021
Title: Secure and Modular Data Portal: Database System to Manage Broadly Classified and Large Scale Data
Author: Atnafu Abrham Lencha, Addisalem Bitew Mitiku, Abel Tadesse Woldemichael
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2024-020
Title: Five Suggestions Towards User-Centred Data Repositories in the Social Sciences
Author: Elias Herman Kruithof, Christophe Vanroelen, Laura Van den Borre
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2024-019
Title: Advancing FAIR Agricultural Data: The AgReFed FAIR Assessment Tool
Author:Christiane Bahlo
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2024-018
Title: Correction: Social Media Impact on the ‘Cosmos’ Blockchain Ecosystem: State and Prospect
Author:Ivan Pavlyshyn, Anna Petrenko, Bohdan Opryshko, Bohdan Oliinyk, Sergii Kavun, Sergey Vasylchuk
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2024-017
Title: Data Management Planning across Disciplines and Infrastructures. Introduction to the Special Collection
Author: Sebastian Netscher, Daniela Hausen, Chris Wiley, Ivonne Anders, Kevin Ashley, Christin Henzen, Sarah Jones, Tomasz Miksa, Maria Praetzellis
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2024-016
Title: Māori algorithmic sovereignty: ideas, principles, and use.
Author: Paul T. Brown, Daniel Wilson, Kiri West, Kirita-Rose Escott, Kiya Basabas, Ben Ritchie, Danielle Lucas, Ivy Taia, Natalie Kusabs, Te Taka Keegan
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2024-015