Natural Hazards

Climate change: let’s talk about adaptive capacity

Asimina Voskaki October 3, 2022

Global warming (Photo credit: Pete Linforth from Pixabay - Pixabay licence)

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, “there is nothing permanent except change”. We are living in an epoch where constant change is the new normal. Unquestionably, climate change is one of the most significant challenges of our time. How can we shape our thinking to become more agile to change, and what attributes do organisations and societies need to increase their cap ...[Read More]

Active faulting causes subsidence-related flooding: the example of the Kashmir basin of NW Himalaya

Afroz Shah July 25, 2022

The sunset view of the Jhelum River in Srinagar, Kashmir, with a few houseboats parked at the river bank. Muhsana Mahoor kindly shared the photograph.

Flood hazards often turn destructive and cause substantial loss of life and assets. Annually floods cause significant damage; for example, during the last decade of the 20th century, around 100,000 people lost their lives, and more than 1.4 billion people were affected [1]. Historically, flooding has been viewed as a friend and foe of human civilisations. As a good friend, floods bring nutritious, ...[Read More]

Fire impacts on Earth across space and time: a discussion-driven conference

Alicja Bonk and Judith Kirschner July 11, 2022

Boreal forest fire in Canada (Photo credit: Stefan Doerr, distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Earth is the only known planet with fire activity – everywhere else, there is not enough oxygen for this process to occur. Since fire appeared on Earth many millions of years ago, it has played a key role in the development of plant adaptation and the distribution of ecosystems. However, the natural occurrence of fire changed with the onset of human evolution. The purposeful use of fire for ...[Read More]

Repression Without Resistance: Answering Natural Hazards Related Disasters

Joana Parente June 27, 2022

Extreme weather events

Answering disasters triggered by natural hazards is a profoundly political process; who can tell us about this is Isabelle Desportes with her study cases of Ethiopia (the 2016 drought), Myanmar (cyclone Komen in 2015) and Zimbabwe (the 2016/2019 drought). Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Dr Isabelle Desportes, a researcher who approaches disaster risk governance from the angle of politic ...[Read More]