- News from the International Research Institute for Climate and Society

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Climate Information Crucial to Help Reduce Risk and Limit Disaster Damage

Forecasts can play an invaluable role in helping humanitarian agencies and governments plan for and prevent disasters, according to the latest Climate and Society publication released by the IRI and its international partners. Read more.

Interviews with Jan Egeland, Madeleen Helmer

IRI Board member, Jan Egeland, and Madeleen Helmer, from the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre, discuss the importance of "A Better Climate for Disaster Risk Management,” the new publication produced by

the IRI in partnership with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, World Food Programme, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security, and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Click on each image to watch the interview.

IRI Hosts Executives for Climate Training Program
The goal of “Climate Change Science, Economics and Policy,” the three-day executive training program for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group was to provide the theoretical knowledge and scientific basis for incorporating climate risk into IFC’s investment and financial advisory services. Lisa Goddard, a research scientist at IRI and one of the principal organizers of the program, reflected at its conclusion, “I think the biggest success was that they were actively thinking about natural climate variability—from years to decades—by the end of the meeting, which was a notable shift from their focus on just climate change when they came in. Given that their decision horizons don't typically extend beyond a decade, this new perspective has the potential to really alter the information they pursue, and the types of ‘adaptation’ they advocate.”

Upcoming events and seminars
July 12: Columbia Water Center Seminar: Challenges and Opportunities of Introducing New Structures for Water Storage in Urban India. view

IRI in the News
Averting a swarm (Nature). view

Humanitarian climate services need more partnerships, funds (Reuters AlertNet). view

In Africa, Free Climate Data as Development Resource (World Politics Review). view

Q&A: Why do we need a new global system for climate services? (Reuters AlertNet). view

Current seasonal rainfall forecast

See all of our forecasts...

The International Research Institute for Climate and Society was established as a cooperative agreement between
the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Program Office and Columbia University.
It is part of The Earth Institute at Columbia University.