Journal of Extreme Events

This paper shows occurrence of extra-tropical storms and damages (1990–2019), and the social and economic effects of Storm Xavier in 2013 in four countries of Europe: Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Poland. The focus of the analysis is on Poland, in order to indicate some major lessons for the future. This study shows long experiences and solutions of countries with winter storms with regards to Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRR&M). The methodology is based on secondary data analyzing collected by international institution, Polish institutions, media information, review of reports and research articles which brings together the results of numerous case studies over the years and highlights the winter storm management issues that were key across them. Examples of activities that minimize the impact of this kind of hazard are suggested. The paper is intended to provide support for professional managers and officials who are tasked with reducing losses from winter storms. This paper aims to emphasize on winter storms in Poland because it is expected of society safety improvement with the Sendai Framework for DRR (2015–2030) and implements the multi-hazard management of DRR in Poland also using experiences of winter storms.

Floods are major social and environmental concerns in many urban areas. We investigated how changes in land cover, sociodemographic conditions, and meteorological factors affect flood damage in districts of South Korea. Using historical maps and spatial analysis, we showed that flood damages increased in the areas where rapid urbanization happened without coordinated urban planning. High flood damage areas are not spatially randomly distributed, and the hotspots of high damage areas are concentrated in population centers that underwent rapid development after 1975. Additionally, human modifications of natural channels further exacerbated flood risks during the development stage and subsequent periods. Total annual precipitation is positively related to the flood damage at a higher spatial unit. This study underscores the importance of understanding the historical–geographical conditions, and how humans either increased or reduced the flood damage through social and infrastructure interventions. Findings of this study have implications for resilient flood management for regions that are currently facing the dual challenges of land densification and climate change-induced heavy precipitation.

The impacts of COVID-19 and efforts to stimulate recovery from the pandemic have highlighted the need for information about how disasters affect the real economy: temporal and spatial dynamics, cascading risks of disruption to employment, debt, trade, investments, bond markets, and real estate markets, among others. This commentary explores what information on the economic dimensions of climate change is needed to inform decisions about adapting to and effectively averting, minimizing, and addressing climate risks. We review the economic information presented in special reports from the IPCC AR6 cycle (SR1.5, SROCC, and SRCCL). We find that the information presented in these reports expands beyond costs of mitigation options, and potential negative GDP effects of climate impacts to include real economic dimensions in food production and land use (forestry and agriculture), coastal areas and fisheries, among others. This reflects an emerging literature which addresses a wider spectrum of economic and financial aspects relevant to climate change and national and regional priorities. Five emerging areas of work related to climate impacts on the real economy and on financial services provide essential additional information for decisions about efforts at all levels to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the overall objective of the UNFCCC Convention. Insights from economic analysis of the coronavirus pandemic—a sustained, complex disaster with global consequences across the real economy and financial services—can help highlight useful areas of research and discussion for policy makers considering climate impacts, vulnerabilities, and risks.

The effects of climate change and associated extreme weather events such as heat, storms and heavy rainfall lead to considerable damage to property and personal injury worldwide. To counteract the causes and consequences of climate change, many states, regions and cities worldwide declared the status of climate emergency in 2019. As a result, scientists and urban planners intensified their efforts to develop appropriate mechanisms and measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change and its consequences.

This paper presents an informal systematic and user-driven governance instrument, which examines the ecological, social and economic effects of urban interventions – the ‘Sustainability Check’. As a target-based assessment tool, it provides decision-makers with information about the extent to which a planned intervention corresponds with future-oriented urban development. The check results from the research project ZUKUR (‘Future of the Urban Region Ruhr’), in which researchers and practitioners from the City of Bottrop (Germany) worked together in a real-world laboratory. The Sustainability Check is novel because it combines elements of an impact assessment tailored to user needs and links sustainable urban development goals with resilient and environmentally just urban development at the local level. Based on the first application, we conclude that the Sustainability Check significantly contributes to developing a future-oriented city. Adapted to the local and context-specific needs of a city, it offers systematic consideration of the requirements of sustainable, resilient and environmentally just urban development in an efficient manner and at the early-stage.