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[Figure 1: The twin-satellites GRACE with the gravity field of the Earth known as the “Potsdam Gravity Potato” (Source: AIRBUS/GFZ)] Between 2002 and 2008, a groundwater depletion (mostly caused by irrigation) was suspected in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana. Data from the twin satellite mission GRACE (Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment), helped to quantify the water deficit by analyzing the Earth’s gravity field anomalies, which can be precisely detected by measuring the...
In late 2018, the Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance Program launched its latest e-learning course, Disaster Risk Finance in the Pacific. We spoke to the first two people to complete the course – both students at the University of the South Pacific - to find out what motivated them to enrol and what they have learnt about disaster risk finance. Alick Bebeu Suimae is from Malaita province in the Solomon Islands is currently completing his Bachelor of Commerce degree. During his childhood, Alick...
The way disasters impact people’s lives can be difficult to comprehend and so can the data around disaster risk. Does the gravity of risk data resonate with people if they are only interacting with it through numbers and two-dimensional charts on a page? Can the scale of impacts be conveyed through such flat media? Will data in this format drive the level of action and innovation necessary to address growing risks in a warmer world? In the face of these challenges, art can play an increasingly...
Overview A number of countries in the Pacific are exploring innovative measures to build resilience against disasters. In December 2017, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved the Pacific Disaster Resilience Program. The program provides a predictable and quick-disbursing source of financing for early response and recovery activities following disaster events, through policy-based operations, and supports priority actions in disaster risk management (DRM) in Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu. The...
The Cook Islands government has placed significant priority upon disaster preparedness - both physical and financial readiness. As a group of 15 islands dispersed across 1,800,000 km2 of ocean in the south Pacific Ocean with a total land area of only 240km2 and a population of just over 15,000, the Cook Islands is extremely vulnerable to natural hazards. The economic effects can be significant, since 60% of the country’s gross domestic product is reliant on a single hazard-sensitive sector...
Over the past two weeks, the world has been monitoring the tragic impact of the tsunami in Sulawesi--a powerful reminder of the risks many communities and countries need to be prepared for every day. The scale of this disaster is apparent and shows the need for: immediate relief for those affected, international coordination and a continued investment in disaster resilience to protect lives and livelihoods. In the face of devastation, Indonesia mobilized quickly—demonstrating the country’s...
Photo Credit: World Bank Group “This can’t be Karamoja,” I thought, looking around me. I had read the reports, which focus on the vulnerability and poverty of this region in northern Uganda, home to the Karamojong, a nomadic people with their own language, traditions, and customs. But it’s one thing to read about a place, and quite another to visit it. Karamoja was stunningly beautiful: there were boulders the size of mountains scattered across the horizon, vibrant green bushes and pasture atop...