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Future Floods: Global Warming Intensifies Heavy Rain – Even More Than Expected
The intensity and frequency of extreme rainfall increases exponentially with global warming, a new study finds. The study shows that state-of-the-art climate models significantly underestimate how much extreme rainfall increases under global warming – meaning that extreme rainfall could increase quicker than climate models suggest.
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From NYC to D.C. and Beyond, Cities on the East Coast Are Sinking
Major cities on the U.S. Atlantic coast are sinking, in some cases as much as 5 millimeters per year – a decline at the ocean’s edge that well outpaces global sea level rise. Particularly hard hit population centers such as New York City and Long Island, Baltimore, and Virginia Beach and Norfolk are seeing areas of rapid “subsidence,” or sinking land, alongside more slowly sinking or relatively stable ground, increasing the risk to roadways, runways, building foundations, rail lines, and pipelines.
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UK Urged to Get Ready for Disaster with New National Crises Plan – but Our Research Reveals the Dark Side of Prepping
Preppers – those who store food, water and supplies to survive impending disaster – have a bit of an image problem. Ridiculed for their delusional end-of-the world outlook, they are caricatured as “tin foil hat-wearing loons”. But is their approach to self-sufficiency so extreme? In the context of looming (and actual) threats from climate disruption, extreme weather, global pandemics, cyberattacks, and AI have led the UK government to launch its ambitious resilience framework.
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In Coastal Communities, Sea Level Rise May Leave Some Isolated
Amid the threat of dramatic sea level rise, coastal communities face unprecedented dangers, but a new study reveals that as flooding intensifies, disadvantaged populations will be the ones to experience some of the most severe burdens of climate change.
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Evolution Might Stop Humans from Solving Climate Change
Central features of human evolution may stop our species from resolving global environmental problems like climate change, says a new study. Can humans continue to survive on a limited planet? “We don’t have any solutions for this idea of a long-term evolutionary trap, as we barely understand the problem,” says one expert.
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Enhancing Coastal Cities' Flood Resilience Through Smart City Technologies
In the face of climate change, a suite of advanced technologies can be integrated into urban design to reduce the flood risk posed by rising sea levels, more intense rainfall events, and more powerful storm surges.
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Costs of the Climate Crisis: An Insurance Umbrella for Nations at Risk
International study in the run-up to COP28: Public-private partnerships may help protect developing countries from the financial consequences of climate change.
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New Insights on Community Resilience and Adaptation
A major weather event such as a hurricane or wildfire can have lasting, visible impacts on communities, but the longer-term, compounding effects of a changing climate can be harder to see. There are ways that communities can adapt and become more resilient as the climate changes.
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Flood Recover Research to Help Residents in Flood-Prone Areas of Central Appalachia
The Civic Innovation Challenge is a research and action competition focused on preparing communities for resilience to natural disasters. Fund recipients have 12 months to implement pilot projects that are scalable, sustainable, and transferable to other communities.
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Using AI to Help Dams Run Smarter
Korea faces a precipitation peak during the summer, relying on dams and associated infrastructure for water management. However, the escalating global climate crisis has led to the emergence of unforeseen typhoons and droughts, complicating dam operations. In response, a new study has emerged, aiming to surpass conventional physical models by harnessing the potential of an artificial intelligence (AI) model trained on extensive big data.
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How a Small Caribbean Island Is Trying to Become Hurricane-Proof
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the Caribbean and for small islands such as Dominica (not to be confused with the much larger Dominican Republic) it is an existential threat. Unlike larger islands like Cuba or Jamaica, a single storm hitting Dominica can damage the entire country – and the topography and small size of the island imposes hard limits on its ability to adapt.
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We Rarely Hear About the Disasters Which Were Avoided – but There’s a Lot We Can Learn from Them
We frequently see headlines about disasters. But where are the headlines covering the good news of lives saved and damage averted when disasters do not happen? Our work, now published, offers examples we can learn from.
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Learning from When the Earth Moves: Protecting Indonesia’s New Capital City
Indonesia plans to build a new capital city from scratch. Protecting the new city from the effects of earthquakes will be crucial. Here’s how researchers are helping.
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Chlorine Is a Highly Useful Chemical That’s Also Extremely Dangerous − Here’s What to Know About Staying Safe Around It
Chlorine is extremely toxic, and because it’s ubiquitous in many industries across the U.S., it often is released in chemical accidents and spills. As with other household chemicals, it is very important to understand its risks, read labels before using it, store it in its original container in a secure place and dispose of it safely.
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Reducing Flooding Impacts in Coastal Towns
Researchers study the benefits and costs of flood-reduction strategies aimed at increasing coastal resilience to storms and sea-level rise. The researchers will apply advanced computer models to simulate how these strategies affect water levels both on the surface and underground and the flooding of homes, businesses and infrastructure.
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The long view
Revising the Cost of Climate Change
Climate scientists have warned of calamitous consequences if global temperatures continue their rise. But macroeconomists have largely told a less alarming story, predicting modest reductions in productivity and spending as the world warms. Until now. New study of economic toll yields projections ‘six times larger than previous estimates’.
Efforts to Build Wildfire Resilience Are Heating Up
Stanford’s campus has become a living lab for testing innovative fire management techniques, from AI-powered environmental sensors to a firebreak-creating “BurnBot.”
Autonomous Disaster Response Technology Successfully Applied to Fire Extinguishing System of a 3,200-ton Vessel
An innovative technology for autonomously responding, without crew intervention, to ruptures to the pipes within the fire extinguishing system of vessels has been successfully verified for the first time in Korea.
Reducing Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise in Virginia
As the climate changes and sea levels rise, there is concern that sinking coastlines could exacerbate risks to infrastructure, as well as human and environmental health in coastal communities. The Virginia Coastal Plain is one of the fastest-sinking regions on the East Coast.