Engineers know how and where to build to minimize earthquake damage. But laws don't always reflect that wisdom. A new study suggests it's because of a mismatch between risk perceptions and reality.
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Articles on Natural disasters
Displaying 1 - 20 of 275 articles
Getting everyone whose lives were thrown off-track back takes a lot of personal effort, paired with work done by a constantly shifting mix of nonprofits and governmental agencies over many years.
Laws and policies that marginalize Indigenous people and communities make these same people vulnerable to disaster.
Volcanic ash is made of tiny crystal and rock fragments that during an eruption can reach as high as the cruising altitude of commercial aircraft, and that's a concern for airlines.
Disaster information needs to come from all sections of a community at risk, and we need to leave nobody marginalised.
An expert responds to a teenager who wants to know – is there any hope for humanity's future?
To reduce the risks posed by natural hazards, governments need to address residents' everyday fears, too.
An engineering professor explains why rural areas are especially vulnerable to hurricanes, and what they can do to ensure that no one is left without help.
Rebuilding informal settlements after a disaster must be done through learning from those who live in the settlements.
The electric utility is seeing rapid changes and threats that affect consumers, from more wind and solar to wildfires. How they react depends in large part on regulators.
Decades of wildfire suppression have allowed flammable fuels to pile up in US forests. Scientists and managers say careful use of planned fires can reduce risks of large, out-of-control burns.
Cyclone Idai showed just how unprepared SADC is to respond to major natural disasters.
Pacific island nations are often framed as remote atolls facing rising seas and cyclones. But their cities are growing fast, so are efforts to help the most climate-vulnerable people hitting the mark?
The flood waters caused by Cyclone Idai have receded. But in some ways, the problems for many of the countries affected, are just beginning.
The international community responded quickly to Cyclone Idai as the African Union dragged its feet.
With heatwaves, droughts and fires all on the rise, the federal government is urged to merge its separate strategies on disaster resilience and climate readiness.
The more water, the more mosquito eggs are laid, and the more mosquitoes end up buzzing about. But to spread disease to people, they first need to bite infected wildlife.
Black Saturday in 2009 was Australia's worst bushfire tragedy. But climate projections predict more bushfire danger in the future, threatening our water supplies as well as homes.
In the years after Black Saturday, climate adaptation research was in full swing, creating knowledge in how to deal with the risks. But a series of funding cuts have left this research in decline.
The flood zone around Townsville extends for hundreds of kilometres, making monitoring difficult even from the air. But scientists are testing a new satellite method that can peer through the clouds.
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Craig E. Colten is a Friend of The Conversation.Carl O. Sauer Professor of Geography, Louisiana State University
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Professor of Political Science, Public Policy and Urban Affairs and Director, Security and Resilience Program, Northeastern University
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Sr. Associate Vice President for Research and Research Professor, University of Oregon
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