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In July 2023, Greece was ravaged by a series of wildfires which developed in the vicinity of densely populated areas or tourist resorts, as in the case of the islands of Rhodes and Corfu or in the Athens metropolitan area, causing the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents and tourists. The Greek government has described the evacuations as the largest in the country's history.
The first day of the #EU group on water scarcity and #drought meeting is over. The #European Drought Impact Database and the Risk Atlas were presented and discussed. #AI role in enhancing drought resilience, monitoring and predictions was discussed in a dedicated session with key presentations from Monique Kuglitsch Andrea Castelletti and Arthur Hrast Essenfelder. Thanks to our Spanish colleagues for hosting us in the wonderful Fundación Botín
Over the past week, severe weather affected the Western Cape Province & the #CapeTown area causing flooding🌊 episodes
In the last week, #wildfires devastated countries across the EU 🇪🇺 and the Mediterranean. 🇮🇹 🇩🇿🇹🇳🇬🇷 They spread in Italy, Algeria, Tunisia and Greece, causing human casualties and massive environmental and economic damage. Find our latest estimates below 👇 https://europa.eu/!bWFC8g
Yesterday, a wildfire broke out in Thessaly, #Greece🇬🇷 The fire is blazing through forested and agricultural areas🔥 Residents of nearby villages have been ordered to evacuate @CopernicusEMS is providing geospatial information in support of emergency responders
📄 which are the core principles guiding the continuous update of the Global Human Settlement layer by the Copernicus Emergency Management Service? among them: biennial update frequency, #opencode, #opendata, and quality control.
The European Commission JRC has developed a tool to measure disaster vulnerability in Europe, offering insights at different administrative levels. By considering social, economic, political, and environmental factors, this tool can provide decision-makers with essential information for prioritizing risk reduction measures and support resilience-building efforts. Ne parla anche il Sole24Ore
Some EU buildings are old, energy-inefficient and contain asbestos, posing health and security risks. This report’s findings can help policy-makers prioritize regions that can benefit from a deep renovation to ensure safe and healthy indoor environments besides reduced energy consumption.
There’s a new study conducted under the European Union's PESETA IV project looking at the potential impact of climate change on river flooding and related damage across Europe. Using statistical modelling to predict changes in flood damage, the study and its freely available datasets help insurance companies to better assess the financial impacts of flood risk and therefore to adjust their risk models.
First-of-its-kind risk analysis based on cities' experiences and inputs reveals gaps in understanding the risks of moving towards zero emissions targets. Provides insights for EU policymakers to design precautions, policies, support services, and an inclusive environment for zero-emission futures. Highlights the need for more research on non-technological aspects.
This paper reviews wildfire risk assessment concepts, including fire ignition, propagation, exposure, and vulnerability. It discusses their integration with mitigation efforts, reviews global operational fire risk systems, and proposes an integrated system under the FirEUrisk project.
This report explores the interplay between climate change, energy, and defence. It underscores the need for EU defence to adapt to climate threats and enhance its resilience while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
This article shows how JRC supports the EU's disaster response, prioritizing life-saving measures, and infrastructure protection. The JRC’s geologists, meteorologists, hydrologists, among other scientists, have been trying to answer questions like: what can we do to anticipate damage and minimise its impact? Where is help (most) needed? This article presents some tools and resources developed by JRC.
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) has launched a new release of the European Settlements Map (ESM) with a new methodology covering a spatial resolution of 2 meters for EEA-39 countries that provides detailed insights for urban planning and sustainable growth by analysing changes in built-up areas.
The INFORM 2023 report shows increased global crisis risk over the past decade. Decision-makers can use the report's insights – based on the INFORM suite of tools designed to provide disaster risk data - to plan effective strategies in climate mitigation, adaptation, disaster risk reduction, or sustainable development.
A new tool has been developed to measure disaster vulnerability in Europe, offering insights at different administrative levels By considering social, economic, political, and environmental factors, this tool can provide decision-makers with essential information for prioritizing risk reduction measures and support resilience-building efforts.
Europe faces varied drought conditions, according to a European Commission report. Southern Europe is recovering from a long drought, but the Iberian Peninsula remains in an "alert" state due to insufficient rain and heatwaves. New droughts are emerging in the north, affecting crop growth.