Read the CODATA CO-Chair, TG-FAIR DRR’s perspective on why managing water resources is crucial for reducing disaster risks and adapting to climate change and data FAIRness. Over 90% of disasters are water-related, such as floods, droughts, and storms, resulting in significant economic losses, exceeding $550 billion globally in 2024 alone, with the potential for higher accurate figures. Despite this, water management is often sidelined in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) planning. A paradigm shift is needed that places water resource management at the centre of long-term DRR strategies to protect lives, ecosystems, and livelihoods. The author also highlights the EU’s Worldfair Project that provides excellent case studies on how disaster-related data can be standardised and shared across domains to enhance disaster resilience and cross-domain interoperability for risk assessments and loss and damage calculations.
Read more: https://www.preventionweb.net/