Charting the future of development: Historic global summit starts in New York
September 25, 2015
A three-day summit to adopt an ambitious new sustainable development agenda for humanity post-2015 was […]
Turn flood of climate information into useable stream, experts say
September 18, 2015
For a city planner looking to make a new building flood-proof, or a farmer interested […]
Linking games and ‘geoinformation’ to navigate growing complexity and address rising risk
September 15, 2015
Communities and humanitarian and development workers are facing rapidly changing risks from unplanned urbanization, environmental […]
‘The 3As’: A framework to track resilience to climate extremes and disasters
September 11, 2015
Resilience generally denotes the ability of social systems to function and flourish despite disturbances. In […]
IFRC monitors worsening El Niño-related drought in Papua New Guinea
September 7, 2015
The IFRC this weekend issued a new information bulletin on the severe El Niño affecting […]
When the weather forecast is wrong, don’t shoot the messenger
September 2, 2015
(This article first appeared last week as a guest blog on the website of the […]
UN: El Niño threatens humanitarian gains in Somalia
August 27, 2015
(This story was first posted on the website of the Nairobi-based Somalia Water and Land […]
El Niño forecast to approach record strength
August 21, 2015
“Yet further strengthening” over the next few months of the current already-strong El Niño is […]
Floods and mudslides trigger renewed concern over glacier-melt hazard across Central Asia
August 18, 2015
Floods and mudslides in several Central Asian countries last month renewed fears that melting glaciers […]
More rainfall-extremes could be new norm for Asia if latest IPCC climate predictions borne out
August 14, 2015
Parts of Asia have been “inundated by floodwaters and ravaged by landslides” as heavy rains […]
Spotlight on Malawi floods at NASA ‘DEVELOP’ meeting on applied science
August 13, 2015
The International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) – an IFRC science and forecasting […]
Forecast-based action
August 12, 2015
This report was produced in collaboration with Reading University and with support from the UK […]
Climate and health: just how vulnerable is Bangladesh?
August 10, 2015
A new World Bank study using “uniquely rich data” that combines information on health, social […]
BRACED newsletter flags report for G7 on ‘ultimate threat-multiplier’: climate change
August 3, 2015
The first newsletter produced by the knowledge-management component of the “BRACED” climate-resilience programme – supported […]
‘Le climat change! Et vous?’ Climate-related workshop in West Africa
July 29, 2015
The Climate Centre last month provided technical input at an IFRC workshop in Togo on […]
Managing the risk of extreme events in a changing climate: Trends and oppotunities in the disaster-related funding landscape
July 27, 2015
Policy-makers must determine how best to invest disaster-related funds, given an understanding of global distribution […]
‘The rains are different now’: Demonstrating climate services for farmers in Tanzania
July 27, 2015
“The rains are different now. Twenty years ago we could plan for harvests. We knew […]
July–September El Niño now all but certain
July 23, 2015
The chances of the current El Niño continuing through the northern-hemisphere autumn are now 99 per […]
International report: Climate markers continue to show global-warming trend
July 20, 2015
This story was first published on 16 July on the website of the US National […]
Loss and damage in a changing climate: Games for learning and dialogue that link HFA and UNFCCC
July 18, 2015
This paper examines the role of games in improving communication and spurring learning, and improving […]
Minimum standards for local climate-smart disaster risk reduction: Informing the development of the post-2015 HFA
July 18, 2015
This paper presents the Minimum Standards for local climate-smart disaster risk reduction and details how they can […]
Focus on forecast-based financing at first ‘dialogue platform’ for German climate action plan
July 17, 2015
The first twice-yearly dialogue platform supported by the German Federal Foreign Office – gathering meteorologists, […]
From the American Civil War to Nepal 2015, the Movement’s tradition of innovation
July 15, 2015
This month saw the release of The Red Cross and Red Crescent’s Principled Approach to Innovation […]
Climate change is ‘defining challenge’ of the century, #CFCC15 concludes
July 13, 2015
Friday’s closing statement from the four-day international scientific conference at UNESCO headquarters in Paris describes […]
Heatwaves on Argentine Red Cross radar as it prepares for a changing climate
July 11, 2015
The Argentine Red Cross (ARC) and the Climate Centre last week took part in the […]
Science ‘could go further’ to support climate resilience, #CFCC15 told
July 8, 2015
Climate science provides an essential ingredient in work on resilience, but with tighter focus on […]
‘Climate change and disasters are everyone’s business’
July 7, 2015
The IFRC’s Pacific Regional Office has distributed the outcome report from a wide-ranging Red Cross […]
IFRC science partners: European heatwave exacerbated by climate change
July 3, 2015
It’s “virtually certain” that climate change increased the likelihood of the heatwave now affecting Europe, […]
IFRC and World Bank’s GFDRR partnership want ‘universal political commitment’ to resilience
June 30, 2015
The International Federation and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) – a […]
Heatwave is death sentence for Karachi’s poor
June 30, 2015
This story (edited slightly here for length) was first published by IRIN last week, as the Sindh […]
IRI: El Niño intensifies again, and it’s more likely to persist
June 25, 2015
The International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) at Columbia University’s Earth Institute has […]
‘Higher gear’ on road to Paris climate agreement
June 18, 2015
Plans for a new universal climate agreement will “step into a higher gear over the […]
Red Cross Red Crescent to help leverage new global partnership for climate resilience, White House announces
June 9, 2015
The US government today announced Climate Services for Resilient Development, a new international public-private partnership […]
Netherlands government backs concept of humanitarian ‘forecast-based financing’
June 9, 2015
The Netherlands government has said it supports the groundbreaking concept of forecast-based financing, intended to […]
The climate context for India’s deadly heatwave
June 9, 2015
(This article first appeared on Climate Central’s website on 3 June. It has been edited […]
Women often the ‘designers and builders’ ofcommunity resilience, EDD15 panel in Brussels hears
June 5, 2015
More than 5,000 decision-makers and specialists gathered in Brussels this week for Europe’s leading forum […]
Global development partners launch climate anddisaster resilience initiative for Sub-Saharan Africa
June 3, 2015
(Joint press release issued yesterday by the World Bank, African Development Bank, and World Meteorological […]
IFRC features in major new climate report from United Nations Association-UK
June 2, 2015
The United Nations Association-UK (UNA-UK) yesterday released a major report, Climate 2020, on the new global framework due […]
IRI monthly briefing: El Niño intensifies
May 29, 2015
El Niño – the phenomenon of warmer-than-average sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific – recently […]
Fruits of East Africa PfR ‘writeshop’ will appear as a book
May 22, 2015
An intensive participatory workshop in Nairobi earlier this month documented five years’ implementation and learning […]
Lessons by Partners for Resilience: moving from output to impact
May 21, 2015
With the outcome targets established at the start of the programme broadly achieved, the Partners […]
Plan International and Climate Centre game session a hit in Bangkok
May 19, 2015
We know the climate is changing and future generations will bear the brunt. The “weirding” […]
Philippine Red Cross: Make preparedness a way of life
May 18, 2015
(This story was first published last week on the IRIN humanitarian news and analysis website. […]
IFRC reference centres ‘help solve new problems in a rapidly changing world’
May 13, 2015
The IFRC secretariat yesterday released a new guide to its specialist reference centres, of which […]
Red Cross Red Crescent reference centres
May 12, 2015
This IFRC publication provides a new overview of Red Cross Red Crescent reference centres, of […]
Linking seasonal forecasts with disaster preparedness in the Pacific
May 12, 2015
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the IFRC have developed a new ‘Seasonal Rainfall Watch’ […]
Global adaptation conference in Nairobi ends with call to world leaders
May 1, 2015
The 9th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation (CBA9) ended in Nairobi yesterday with a call […]
Study: Global flood-risk can be contained by intensifying adaptation
April 22, 2015
Vulnerability to river-flood danger around the world is declining, according to a study in the […]
A Pacific first: understanding climate risk through games
April 20, 2015
In a first for the Pacific, community-focused teams from ten Pacific island nations have come […]
The Economist on disaster: ‘forewarned is forearmed’
April 14, 2015
A detailed news briefing on volcanic eruptions and their climate impacts in the current issue […]
Programme managers from Ethiopia, Germany, SA pool experience in new handbook on climate adaptation
April 13, 2015
A new handbook book has been compiled by programme managers from Ethiopia, Germany and South Africa […]
‘Paying for predictions’ at Tacloban media workshop on climate
April 1, 2015
The Philippine Climate Change Commission (CCC), jointly with the United Nations Development Programme and the […]
Forecast-based financing key to early disaster-response
March 27, 2015
(This blog post was first published by the ICRC regional delegation in Delhi on 24 March 2015.) […]
WMO: Thousands of lives saved by better forecasting, early warning and readiness
March 24, 2015
Thousands of lives have been saved around the world over the past year alone by […]
New 15-year global framework recognizes climate change as a driver of disaster risk
March 19, 2015
The new global framework for policy and programming on disaster risk reduction (DRR) “outlines clear targets and […]
At Sendai, IFRC announces ‘One Billion Coalition for Resilience’
March 16, 2015
IFRC President Tadateru Konoe yesterday presented the International Federation’s voluntary commitment toward post-2015 disaster risk […]
‘Let’s square up to the task’: Princess Margriet of the Netherlands speaks to UN conference on disaster risk
March 15, 2015
(Full text of today's speech by HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands at the opening […]
Lethal Pacific storm marks start of Sendai disaster conference, as IFRC and UN call for ‘unprecedented cooperation’ on climate
March 14, 2015
The opening over the weekend of the UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) […]
‘Long-anticipated’ El Niño officially here, but expected to stay weak without major influence on weather
March 9, 2015
US scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) say the technical threshold for […]
Losses from river floods to worsen significantly by 2030, says new global ‘risk analyzer’
March 5, 2015
River flooding will “affect more people and cause significantly more damage by 2030” because of […]
Introducing humanitarians and environmentalists to decision-science insights and applications
March 2, 2015
An increasing number of scientific disciplines focus on understanding how and why people make decisions and […]
Germany continues ‘paradigm shift’ in preparedness with drive for new forecast-based financing trials
February 25, 2015
Germany's Federal Foreign Office and the German Red Cross (GRC) this week distributed a six-point action plan for […]
Weather and climate warnings ‘do little’ to protect farmers and vulnerable people in developing world
February 20, 2015
(This story first appeared on www.trust.org last Friday 13 February.) Warnings of extreme weather and climate threats […]
UNICEF and Climate Centre address health risks in Ghana through serious play
February 17, 2015
Some 12,000 Ghanaian children die each year from diseases that could be prevented by hand-washing […]
Better use of climate information could bolster African development, says new report
February 13, 2015
Better use of climate information could help promote development in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a […]
IFRC humanitarian cash for Albania after ‘worst floods since 1971’
February 9, 2015
The IFRC is releasing more than a quarter of a million US dollars in emergency […]
As Davos meeting closes, climate ‘warning shots’ from Africa and Pacific
January 29, 2015
When global figures gathered in the Swiss resort of Davos last week for the annual […]
WEF report: Extreme weather second only to conflict as ‘likely’ source of global risk
January 21, 2015
The annual World Economic Forum (WEF) begins in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, today, and among the featured […]
IFRC mobilizes to help nations in Southern Africa hit by disastrous seasonal floods
January 16, 2015
Tens of thousands of people have been forced out of their homes in Malawi, Mozambique […]
A high-tech future for humanitarians one step closer after Red Cross Red Crescent summit in NL
January 9, 2015
Clusters of unmanned aerial vehicles that could relay mobile-phone signals using a “mesh network” to restore communications […]
El Niño: We’re still in limbo, says International Research Institute for Climate and Society
January 8, 2015
The Pacific Ocean remains primed for an El Niño event, according to the Australian Bureau of […]
Final data for 2014 set to confirm ‘no standstill in global warming’
January 5, 2015
International meteorologists say last year is on course to become the hottest ever recorded in […]
Global agreement on climate in 2015 ‘important step’ closer after COP 20 in Peru
December 15, 2014
A global agreement on climate change that will harness action by all nations “took a […]
‘Rethinking possible futures’ through solar-powered, lighter-than-air sculpture at D&C Days
December 6, 2014
An ambitious, cooperative project to create solar-powered, lighter-than-air sculptures at Development and Climate Days (“D&C […]
Red Cross community work in Pacific is ‘solid base’ for planning climate adaptation
November 6, 2014
Community-based approaches are increasingly emphasized as the most viable for planning and implementing climate adaptation […]
Climate change impacts already felt ‘on all continents and across the oceans’, says IPCC
November 2, 2014
By the Climate Centre The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) today published the full […]
New study of downstream effects of El Nino on flood risk
October 20, 2014
(This article was first published by Climate Central on 20 October 2014.) The phantom El Niño continues to hold […]
Environment and climate change: The impact of climate change on human mobility
October 18, 2014
The climate is a key determinant of where people live and climate change can lead […]
IFRC World Disasters Report: climate change contributing to ‘a new era of risk’
October 16, 2014
This year, World Disasters Report takes on a challenging theme as it questions why culture is […]
Final conference in Climate Forum East finds fun ways to point up health challenges
October 14, 2014
Participants at the final conference of the Climate Forum East project, in the Belarus capital […]
Join us for the 12th Development & Climate Days at COP 20 in Lima
October 13, 2014
At the Country Club Lima Hotel during COP 20 in Lima 6–7 December 2014 #zerozero For the first time […]
IFRC announces ‘information to action’ initiative at UN Climate Summit in New York
September 23, 2014
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) today announced a “Climate […]
Ebola and climate impacts in Africa: Is there a link?
September 21, 2014
For the first time in its history, the United Nations has created an international mission […]
New Pacific partnerships announced as UN small islands conference closes in Samoa
September 4, 2014
The IFRC and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) today signed a […]
First-ever global conference on climate and health ends at WHO in Geneva
September 3, 2014
The first-ever global conference on climate and health ended last Friday at the Geneva headquarters of the […]
Cultivating resilience in Guatemala: agreement to consolidate ‘inter-institutional cooperation’
August 28, 2014
Guatemala’s Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARN), the National Coordination for Disaster Reduction […]
New global campaign on ‘vital’ weather and climate services for small island states
August 8, 2014
A global campaign to improve weather and climate services for all small island developing states […]
Climate Centre joins White House ’round table’ on agriculture and food resilience
August 5, 2014
Intense heatwaves, heavier downpours, and severe droughts and wildfires. These are all climate impacts projected […]
‘Gender and climate change’: New Australian Red Cross briefing paper
July 30, 2014
The latest addition last week to the Australian Red Cross (ARC) series of online gender briefing […]
Gender and climate change
July 27, 2014
This guidance note outlines how climate change can impact men and women differently and identifies […]
What’s in it for them? New CDKN ‘resource pack’ on climate change in Africa and South Asia
July 23, 2014
The Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) last week launched a comprehensive resource pack “to […]
Factoring climate and urban risk into assessment: new IFRC guidance
July 22, 2014
The IFRC yesterday announced the release of its new supplementary guidance, Integrating Climate Change and […]
Turning climate science into animations: A lesson in teamwork from the Pacific
July 18, 2014
Two humorous animation films by an alliance of agencies in the Pacific link climate science […]
In fight against extreme poverty, World Bank to screen investments for ‘climate and disaster risk’
July 18, 2014
As of this month, US$ 52 billion of new development investment in the World Bank’s […]
Participatory games summer school at the Universita della Svizzera italiana
July 11, 2014
Last month’s Humanitarian Summer School on games for development and humanitarian work was the first […]
New German support for ‘humanitarian challenges of climate change’ includes forecast-based funding
July 10, 2014
Germany – in a bid to improve understanding between humanitarians and climate scientists – has […]
‘Actionable information’ at the Understanding Risk Forum 2014
July 4, 2014
The biennial forum of Understanding Risk (UR), whose theme was “producing actionable information”, ended at […]
WMO: ‘Prepare for El Nino’
July 1, 2014
Many governments are now preparing for an El Niño – associated with regional-scale drought and […]
Harnessing ‘human computation’ for 21st century humanitarianism
June 24, 2014
World experts in the emerging field of “human computation” gathered in Washington, DC last week […]