This study was designed with the aim of assessing the effectiveness of decentralization of disaster risk management in Borana zone and South-West Shawa zone of Oromia region. A mixed research approach was used to collect data from federal, regional, zonal, district (woreda), and ward (kebele) representatives. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were the qualitative methods used to collect data, while survey questionnaires were distributed to experts to collect quantitative data. The qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis whereas the quantitative data were analyzed using STATA software version 14. The findings of the research have shown that, the actors are aware of Busa Gonofa as a new indigenous self-help institution. The policy on decentralization of disaster risk reduction was better understood at the federal, regional, and zonal levels of the government tiers than at the woreda and kebele levels. Administrative decentralization was found to be more effective than fiscal and political decentralization. The decentralization of Ethiopian disaster risk reduction is incomplete with limited effectiveness. There exists significant difference between Borana and South-West Shawa zones in decentralization of disaster risk management. The implementation of decentralization was constrained by training, technology, collaboration, financial resources, skill and knowledge, institutional arrangement, and local capacity. Hence, there is a need to address these challenges and make continuous efforts to focus on local-level capacity building in terms of empowerment of actors through training, technology, and financial resources for adaptation and mitigation to drought in Borana and flood in South-West Shawa zones respectively.

Disasters disproportionately affect conflict-affected regions, where approximately two billion people reside, posing significant challenges for disaster risk reduction (DRR). This reality has increasingly spurred calls for violent conflict to be included in the global DRR agenda. However, consideration of peace has been lacking, despite that challenges for peace can distinctly impact capacities to set, pursue, and achieve DRR objectives. This study investigated how the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (SFDRR) engages with peace through a document analysis, revealing three key findings. First, the SFDRR does not mention “peace,” mirroring its lack of reference to conflict. Second, while peace-related terms appear throughout the SFDRR in themes related to partnership and all-of-society approaches, this engagement is superficial. Third, the SFDRR’s approach is fundamentally problematic for advancing peace due to its avoidance of the complex social and political dynamics inherent to disaster risk and its reduction. The SFDRR united United Nations Member States in its ambition to “leave no one behind,” but has taken approaches that smooth over diversity rather than strengthen pluralistic connections. A radical, integrated DRR-peacebuilding agenda must take conflict as the new starting point and carve new pathways toward peace including through disaster diplomacy and environmental peacebuilding. By embracing the ambiguity between war and peace and addressing the root causes of risk, societies can cultivate peaceful interactions and collectively advance safety. This study concludes with recommendations for a global DRR policy that not only implicitly relies on peace but actively contributes to peacebuilding in the world’s diverse and divided societies.

Due to global climate anomalies, the intensity and spatial extent of weather and climate extremes have increased notably. Therefore, extreme events must be studied to ensure agricultural production. In this study, the growing season accumulated temperature above 10 °C (GSAT₁₀) was used as the climate regionalization index for maize in the Songliao Plain region, and the study area was divided into three climate zones. The standardized precipitation requirement index (SPRI) and standardized temperature index (STI) were introduced to analyze the spatial and temporal patterns of drought, waterlogging, and heat during the maize growing season from May to September using meteorological station data from the Songliao Plain between 1991 and 2020. The compound event magnitude indices were constructed by modeling the marginal distribution to detect the patterns of compound drought and heat events (CDHEs) and compound waterlogging and heat events (CWHEs), and to assess their potential impacts on maize production. The results show that: (1) The major meteorological disasters in the Songliao Plain region were drought and heat. The areas with prolonged high temperatures were similar to the areas with higher severity of temperature extremes, and were mainly concentrated in the central and southern parts of the study area (Zone 3). (2) The CWHEs mainly occurred in the northern part of the study area (Zones 1 and 2), and the CDHEs predominantly occurred in the central and southern parts of the study area. (3) For most sites on the Songliao Plain, the duration, severity, and intensity of compound extreme events were positively correlated with relative meteorological yield (Y _w). Maize yield reduction was significantly affected by the CDHEs.

Urban disaster risks show multi-stage evolution and interconnected coupling features. Under time pressure, case-based reasoning (CBR) has emerged as a critical method for risk management decision making. Case-based reasoning tackles target case problems by leveraging solutions from similar historical cases. However, the current case base is inadequate for storing systemic risk cases, thus impeding CBR efficacy. This article presents a city-level integrated case base with a nested cross structure to facilitate the use of CBR in systemic risk management. It comprises a multi-layer vertical dimension and a multi-scale horizontal dimension. The vertical dimension is optimized to a four-layer (environment-hazard-object-aftermath) risk scenario classification system with taxonomy and fuzzy clustering analysis. The horizontal dimension is improved to a three-scale (network-chain-pair) risk association mode using event chain theory and association analysis. Hazard acts as the pivotal link between the two dimensions. An illustrative example displays the use process of the proposed case base, along with a discussion of its CBR-supported applications. Through the digital transformation, the suggested case base can serve government decision making with CBR, enhancing the city’s capability to reduce systemic risk.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (SFDRR) aims to play a fundamental role in increasing global resilience. The focus of this research is to consider analysis of risks and recovery related to satellite disruption within the context of the SFDRR. Analysis of satellite disruption has often been more technical and less focused on supporting recovery. This research considers the framework’s relevance for preventing disruption to satellite systems and global recovery measures for related disasters that emerge due to dependence on satellites. First, the use of space terminology within the framework is considered. Next, principles within the SFDRR that are relevant to satellite system disruption are highlighted, and this is followed by presentation of key gaps relevant to this disruption, before potential improvements to expand the framework are proposed. This article outlines how concepts within the SFDRR could help to improve recovery from a disaster that occurs due to worst-case-scenario type satellite disruption. In this case, critical satellites are disrupted, preventing access to fundamental services such as navigation and timing. The aims of this research are to consider how the SFDRR can be expanded to consider disruption to critical satellite systems, by identifying aspects of the framework that are applicable to this type of disaster. Another outcome is to contribute to wider disaster recovery literature by encouraging consideration of disasters involving disruption to digital services.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (SFDRR) is at its 10th anniversary amidst a rapidly changing climate, which, together with social vulnerabilities, have led to significant impacts on human health and well-being. In the climate change and health field, the term “climate-related health risks” is often used while the term “health disaster” is less common. This article identifies opportunities and challenges that the SFDRR presents for the intersection between climate change and health. The SFDRR, through disaster risk reduction for climate change and health, complements international health- and climate change-related agendas. It expands the perspective of climate change and health beyond the classical health sphere by highlighting the importance of addressing the underlying drivers of disaster risk, most of them related to social vulnerabilities. Additionally, strong governance and leadership from the health sector might foster the integration of health-centered perspectives into climate change policies. However, the SFDRR faces challenges due to differential capacities among countries, which limit effective implementation. The role of politics, power, and diverse interests needs to be recognized in disaster-related decision-making processes, as well as the many barriers for global and systematic disaster-related data structures that limit a comprehensive understanding of disaster risk. The 10th anniversary of the SFDRR represents an opportunity to reflect on the many opportunities that it represents and on the challenges that need to be addressed. By looking for synergies among diverse agendas, initiatives, and collaborations, the SFDRR sheds some light on protecting people’s health and well-being.

This autoethnographic study presents a historical perspective on disaster risk reduction (DRR) at the local level, with the case study of the city of Tunja in Colombia. We analyze the impact that colonization, the independence period, and recent history have had on the creation and reduction of disaster risks in this city. We offer a holistic perspective that shows the interactions of the impact of inequality on Indigenous populations, lack of urban planning, deforestation and the planting of invasive plant species, among other factors, which in combination with natural hazards, such as heavy rainfall, increase disaster risks. We conclude that although the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 is a fundamental instrument to promote risk reduction, in the local context of Tunja, the framework as such is not seen as a guide or parameter. The Colombian Disaster Risk Management Law is the main guide to advance risk reduction. This study demonstrates how DRR is not an isolated process, but a process that encompasses the general well-being of the population. We demonstrate from our lived perspective how access to public education and school feeding, as well as other social protection measures, increase the resilience of the population, making them better able to cope with adversity due to different hazards. This local perspective, with a historical review of a small city in the middle of the Andes, demonstrates the importance of continuing to prioritize and invest in measures that contribute to the population’s well-being as a way to reduce disaster risks, including adapting to our changing climate.

Formal disaster prevention, preparation, risk management, and response remain highly anthropocentric, with non-human animals afforded minimal attention, resourcing, and support. This article reports on informal community efforts to care for non-human animals during and after the 2019/2020 “Black Summer” bushfires in Australia, when over three billion animals were killed, injured, or displaced. We conducted 56 in-depth interviews with community members, government officials, and experts, and ran four full day workshops with community members to investigate: how communities sought to protect and care for domesticated, farmed, and wild animals; the factors that facilitated and impeded their efforts; and the changes they believed would lead to better outcomes for animals in disasters in the future. Key findings are that: human communities understood and treated non-human animals as part of their communities; humans went to extraordinary lengths to care for and rescue animals; these efforts were largely invisible to, and unsupported—even condemned—by formal emergency management agencies. We conclude that human-centric emergency and disaster management policies are at odds with community values and behaviors. We argue that disaster management must evolve to accommodate and support the realities of community-based rather than individual-based approaches, and must simultaneously expand to consider communities as multispecies.

Australia is a significant hotspot for heatwaves due to its geographical location and pronounced climatic variability, and heatwave exposure is expected to further increase in the future with anthropogenic climate change. With the intent to support United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good health and well-being) and 13 (Climate action), in this study we identified key challenges and opportunities for adapting to heatwaves, focusing on the most vulnerable members of our community—older adults. A naturalistic, qualitative approach was selected for this study. Data were collected via semistructured interviews. Key insights were captured through a series of semistructured interviews with key informants from local government agencies and community groups that provide care for older adults in New South Wales, Australia. Questions centered around current preventative measures adopted by the organization regarding heatwaves, level of heatwave knowledge of local residents, and common effects of heatwaves in the local community. The findings highlight four primary challenges: (1) increasing duration and intensity of heatwaves; (2) lack of knowledge among older adults regarding symptoms and the effect on the body; (3) the financial and social impacts of heatwaves; and (4) inadequate urban planning practices and building codes including the need for the creation of cool and green spaces. This study provides important insights for protecting our most vulnerable populations from the growing threat of heatwaves.