Judith Rodin advises:  preparing for the future means building better cities. New York; Athens; Wenzhou; Boston; Oslo; Dhaka; New Orleans; Nairobi. In recent years, dozens of cities across the globe have beenhit by large-scale catastrophes of every kind: natural disaster, geopolitical conflict, food shortages, disease and contagion, terrorist attacks. If you haven't been directly touched by one of these cataclysms yourself, in our interconnected world you are sure to have been affected in some way. They harm vulnerable individuals, destabilise communities and threaten organisations and even whole societies.

We are at greater risk than ever from city-wide catastrophe, and as the severity and frequency of these disasters increase, we must become better at preparing for, responding to and recovering from them. Why did more girls than boys drown in Japan's 2011 tsunami, and what does the case of Haiti's humanitarian aid tell us about the future?

Dr Judith Rodin, President, Rockefeller Foundation, author of The Resilience Dividend, and one of the world's leading public thinkers, brings together ground-breaking research to help build a radical future in which individuals, companies and entire societies avert disaster by creating more dynamic, more resilient cities. To order her book from Amazon, just click on the image or visit your local book store. Streamed live on Jan 20, 2015

Learn how Superstorm Sandy impacted the Long Island Regional Sustainability Plan. Fran Reid, Chief Sustainability Officer Town of Hempstead and John Kaiman talk about their experiences after Superstorm Sandy hit the many communities on Long Island. Part 1 and Part 3. Published on Apr 28, 2014

Last year was Earth's warmest on record, separate reports by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released on Friday showed.

With the exception of 1998, the 10 warmest years on record have now occurred since the year 2000, according to analysis of surface temperature measurements by NASA and NOAA.
NASA said since 1880, when record-keeping began, Earth’s average surface temperature has warmed by about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degrees Celsius), a trend that is largely driven by the increase in carbon dioxide and other human emissions into the planet’s atmosphere. Published on Jan 16, 2015

Algal bloom has contaminated the water supply; National Guard called in to help. Published on Aug 3, 2014

The State of California is experiencing the worst drought in its history. Find out just how bad the situation is getting and what it means for you. Published on Jul 7, 2014

Produced by: Carrie Halperin and Sean Patrick Farrell

Read the story here at NY Times.

Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland, Former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and CEO, Mary Robinson Foundation-Climate Justice. 

Climate science explained in 60 seconds by the Royal Society and the US National Academy of Sciences.

During the last 200 years, human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels have increased concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere by 40%. If unchecked, continuing emissions will warm up the planet by 2.6°C to 4.8°C by the end of this century. This would have serious implications for human societies and the natural world.

This 60-second animation from the world's two leading science academies brings you the science behind climate change. Published on Dec 10, 2014

Looking for more?
- How confident are scientists that Earth will warm further over the coming century?
- Are climate changes of a few degrees a cause for concern?
- Climate is always changing. Why is climate change of concern now?

The full document 'Climate Change: Evidence & Causes' is available to read on the Royal Society website here.