Measuring Risk to Manage Climate Disaster
Willi Semmler, Arnhold Professor of International Cooperation and Development, is at the forefront of new efforts to make measurable the economic impacts of climate catastrophe
This piece was originally featured on Research Matters.
This is the second piece on Professor Semmlerâs work on the economics of climate change.Â
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Images of a burning Amazon rainforest last week brought people across the world face to face with the effects of increasingly aggressive deforestation and the killing and displacement of humans and animals in one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth. São Paolo, the largest metropolis in the Americas, was covered by a blanket of smoke that turned the day to night.
C. Hui is a Professor of Mathematics and the South African Research Chair (SARChI) in Mathematical and Theoretical Physical Biosciences based at Stellenbosch University and the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in South Africa. His research focuses on developing models and theories for explaining emerging patterns of biodiversity, networks, and traits in ecology and evolution. CH has published more than 190 papers and received the Elsevier Young Scientist Award in 2011. CH and David M. Richardson authored the book Invasion Dynamics (Oxford University Press). CH is a core-team member of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology and is on the editorial board of several journals, including Biological Invasions (Springer), BMC Ecology (BioMed Central), Ecological Complexity (Elsevier), Insect Conservation and Diversity (Wiley), and Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.
Representational image. | Kathryn Hansen/NASA
India has been invested in the Arctic region for years and to secure its share of the pie that the region offers in terms of research and resources, including minerals and hydrocarbons, the Indian government has now unveiled a draft Arctic policy. It envisages India’s engagement in the Arctic region for climate research, environmental monitoring, maritime cooperation and energy security.
The policy was put online earlier this month and comments have been sought on it by January 26.
The Arctic region comprises the Arctic Ocean and parts of countries such as Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia, the United States (Alaska), Finland, Sweden and Iceland. These countries together form the core of the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum. The region is home to almost 40 lakh inhabitants, of which, about one-tenth are indigenous people.