From the NY Times: Scientists Protest Cuts and Commercialization at Australian Climate Center
When Science Gets Hijacked – Australian Example
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Author Archives: recoverydiva
New Tool for Planners re Sea Level Rise
New tool for coastal planners preparing for sea level rise
Scientists have developed a new model to help coastal planners assess the risks of sea level rise. Put to use on a global scale, it estimates that the oceans will rise at least twenty-eight centimeters on average by the end of this century — and as much as 131 cm if greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow unchecked.
Environment and Disaster Management Help Desk
Environment and Disaster Management Help Desk. Great idea. Help is available by phone or by email.
WWF/US has established an Environment & Disaster Management Help Desk. The Help Desk (accessible via email and phone) is intended to assist individuals who need quick information on questions or challenges related to disaster management and environment, including risk reduction, preparedness, response and recovery.
The Help Desk was established to respond to the realization that most individuals involved in disaster management do not have the time to research environmental issues linked to their work, and often can’t access expert advice in a timely manner. The frequent result is that the environmental issues fall by the wayside, to the ultimate disadvantage of disaster-affected populations.
The parent site, Envirodm.org (http://envirodm.org/), also contains links to the Green Recovery and Reconstruction Training Toolkit and the forthcoming Flood Risk Management: Guidelines to Natural and Nature-Based Methods.
The Internet Isn’t Making the World a Better Place — World Bank Report
Once again the Diva is straying from the main focus to share an interesting report. From MIT press, this article titled Sadly the Internet isn’t Making the World a Better Place. Here is the direct URL to full World Bank report (359 pp.) From the article lead in:
A brave new digital world is rapidly emerging as Internet access, smartphones, and other technologies spread quickly through less wealthy nations. But could this sometimes be doing more harm than good?
A fascinating new report from the World Bank examines the impact that these digital technologies are having around the world. It’s a sobering reminder that the spread of technology often isn’t the panacea that many hope it will be.
The Realities of Recovery
Most of us tend to underestimate the difficulties and duration of the recovery after a major disaster. Here are some details about the Christchurch experience:
‘Long way to go’: Christchurch fights to emerge from shadow of 2011 earthquake
Five years on, Christchurch pauses to remember the 185 people who died, as questions endure over what will become of the battered garden city.
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Thanks to Franklin McDonald for the citation. ( You have to love the Internet which allows a Canadian reader to send an American blogger a useful article from a British publication on a NZ topic! )
Journal Article
New Open Access Journal Article. Do not be put off by the title; the article is interesting and original. See: Critical infrastructure, panarchies and the vulnerability paths of cascading disasters.
If you do not know what panarchy means, and I did not, see this explanation from the Resilience Alliance.
The Role of Civil Society Post Disaster – two views
Once again I draw on the experience in Christchurch NZ, still recovering from earthquake five or so years ago, to start a discussion of the role of citizens and non-governmental organizations after a major disaster i.e., civil society.
From an Australian news source and writer, this article about the recovery in Christchurch, NZ: Comment: Christchurch five years on – have politicians helped or hindered the earthquake recovery?
Since I wanted the perspective of a native Kiwi, who in fact was involved in assessing the response to the CHCH earthquakes, I asked Ian McLean to comment. He said:
It is unfortunately a partisan viewpoint. One factual error was to call the Ministerial powers ‘unprecedented’. The powers provided by special legislation after the Napier 1931 EQ were in some respects even wider.
There was considerable political debate over the appointment of commissioners to control Environment Canterbury. The issue was whether or not it had done its legal duty of developing a Regional Water Plan. The only linkage to the earthquake was that cooperation between some local authorities in civil defence emergency management before the 2010 event was poor – as you know.
On the other hand, the role of civic society in response and recovery is vastly underestimated, as the article points out.
At the same time it was far beyond the capacity of any local organisation to lead, plan and direct (where necessary) the response and recovery. Something like CERA was essential because neither central nor local government nor the community, had the organisation to do what is needed. The extent to which CERA adequately involved the local community remains an issue worthy of examination and debate.
Cybersecurity
DHS releases initial guidelines for cyber threat info-sharing.
The Department of Homeland Security is moving forward with the biggest piece of cybersecurity legislation passed last year, issuing preliminary guidance on how the private sector and government will communicate threat data as part of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act.
In cybersecurity — possibly more so than most other endeavors — knowledge really is power. Knowing the signature of an attack vector, the telltale signs of certain types of malware or, as DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson suggested, “the subject line of a spear-phishing email or the IP address of the computer from which it originated” can help defenders block malicious traffic and stop hackers in their tracks.
Rebuilding Standards Questioned
What is more important — rebuilding quickly or rebuilding better? See: The Economics of Rebuilding Stronger.
Will Health Care Providers Soon Have to Be More Ready for Disasters?
From the NY Times: Can Health Care Providers Afford to Be Ready for Disaster? Some excerpts:
Despite repeated calls for change, however, and billions of dollars in disaster-related costs for health care providers, federal rules do not require that critical medical institutions make even minimal preparations for major emergencies, from hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes to bioterrorist attacks and infectious epidemics such as Ebola and Zika.
“We’ve had way too many circumstances where the results are catastrophic,” said Karl Schmitt, a former division chief for public health preparedness in Illinois and founder of the consulting firm bParati. “Preparedness doesn’t put heads in beds, and if it doesn’t put heads in beds, it doesn’t bring in revenue, so it’s not going to get the C.E.O.’s attention.”
That may soon change. Industry experts are awaiting release of a federal rule that would make emergency preparedness a condition for a wide range of health care institutions to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. More than 68,000 providers would potentially be affected, including hospitals, kidney dialysis centers, psychiatric treatment facilities, home health agencies and organ transplant procurement organizations. Among other steps, providers would be required to conduct regular disaster drills, have plans for maintaining services during power failures and create systems to track and care for displaced patients.
Recovery Diva 