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Agriculture & Environment: Natural disasters

Opinions

Here is a list of the latest articles

Two women look at mobile phone

Crying wolf over disasters undermines future warnings

Disaster warnings can be fast, but how can we also ensure their accuracy and credibility, ask Rohan Samarajiva and Nalaka Gunawardene.

6 February 2013 | EN | ES

Asia–Pacific Analysis: Pushing for a strong climate change policy

Although the region is not a big polluter, the threat of climate change means it should lead the way on cuts, argues Crispin Maslog.

30 January 2013 | EN

Man transporting livestock in flood in Pakistan

Why disaster warning and development go hand in hand

To engage people in early action we must understand their experience, behaviour and constraints, says disaster policy expert Andrew Collins.

21 November 2012 | EN | ES | FR

Aid distribution in Somalia

Understanding uncertainty to prevent humanitarian crises

Dialogue enables scientists and communities to work with uncertain information, say humanitarian policy experts Emma Visman and colleagues.

21 November 2012 | EN | ES | FR

Satellite image of hurricane

How Cuba turns early warning into joined-up action

Cuba's early warning approach holds lessons for other countries, write disaster risk reduction specialists Veronica F. Grasso and José Rubiera.

21 November 2012 | EN | ES | FR

Mobile phone use in Haiti 2010

Effective disaster response needs integrated messaging

New communication tools get good press but must become part of response systems, argue ICT specialists Jessica Heinzelman and Krista Baptista.

16 November 2012 | EN | FR

A government office disrupted by the 2009 earthquake

Scientists on trial: Lessons for disaster preparedness

Earthquake science was not on trial in Italy — it was about inadequate information and participation in decision-making, says Carina Fearnley.

31 October 2012 | EN | ES

Earthquake damage in Japan

Acting on disaster warnings: Don't miss the human factor

We need to understand why some people act on early warnings while others ignore them, says disaster preparedness specialist Sudhir Kumar.

17 October 2012 | EN | ES

Workshop in climate information, Senegal

Climate scientists and communities can find common ground

Fruitful dialogue in Africa shows the gap between climate scientists and decision makers can be bridged, says adaptation specialist Arame Tall.

11 July 2012 | EN | FR

Asia–Pacific Analysis: Support for adaptation is a must

Forecast to be underwater by 2050, the Pacific island states must plan for climate adaptation, with global support, urges Crispin Maslog.

31 May 2012 | EN

Pakistan needs a new crop forecasting system

Pakistan urgently needs to refine its crop yield forecasting and estimation system to improve food production, says Ibrar ul Hassan Akhtar.

16 May 2012 | EN

Tree nursery, Niger

Rio+20 should make sustainable land use a top priority

World leaders must promote effective land use methods to mitigate drought, says Luc Gnacadja of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

18 April 2012 | EN | FR

Asia–Pacific Analysis: Launching a second Green Revolution

Feeding South-East Asia's rapidly growing population requires a second Green Revolution, says Crispin Maslog.

23 February 2012 | EN | 中文

Ocean-climate buoy in the tropical Pacific

Time to stop losing ocean data to vandalism

More must be done to prevent damage of ocean data buoys that costs money, vital data — and lives, say Sidney Thurston and M. Ravichandran.

15 February 2012 | EN | ES | FR | 中文

Asia–Pacific Analysis: Be proactive on disaster planning

South-East Asia has suffered from neglecting planning for disasters. Governments must heed the warnings and act now, argues Crispin Maslog.

26 January 2012 | EN | FR | 中文

Climate change 'will raise risks for millions'

Vulnerability analyses: getting back to basics

Analysing vulnerability to climate change must go beyond stating obvious problems to become truly useful, argues Marcus Moench.

Source: IIED

10 November 2011 | EN

Africa Analysis: Disaster warning not just about science

The East Africa famine calls into question the wisdom of investing in early warning systems without improving take-up, writes Linda Nordling.

5 October 2011 | EN | FR

IAEA team examines emergency equipment at Tokai Daini Nuclear Power Plant

Nuclear electricity: a fallen dream?

Nuclear power is no magic solution, argues Pervez Hoodbhoy — it's not safe, or cheap, and it leads to weapons programmes.

28 September 2011 | EN | ES | FR | 中文

A worker tries to lift a weak cow from among the carcasses of drought-stricken livestock

Better grazing practices hold key to Kenyan droughts

The current drought in northern Kenya has deep roots in the current practices of pastoralists that need to be addressed, says conservationist David Western.

5 August 2011 | EN

A building destroyed by the Haiti earthquake

Tackle corruption to cut earthquake deaths

Where corruption is rife, poor regulation and building practices can turn a moderate earthquake into a disaster, say Nicholas Ambraseys and Roger Bilham.

Source: Nature

18 January 2011 | EN | ES