What's New in Knowledge | June 2026
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has released its annual World Disaster Report for 2026, a comprehensive document that addresses the impact of harmful information on humanitarian action.
The World Meteorological Organization has also released the Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update 2026-2035 this month which looks at things such as predicted global temperature rise and other updates on the state of the world’s climate into the future.
The Anticipation Hub has released its report on Anticipatory Action in 2025, highlighting that anticipatory action reached a predicted total of 9.6 million people in 2025.
In understanding consequences and recovery, The World Bank has released a publication on worldwide job losses due to natural hazards, read the full report here.
In thinking about systemic risk, The World Bank has conducted a global assessment of building codes, assessing their technical content in relation to structural safety and resilience, green buildings and universal accessibility – read about the building codes here. Meanwhile, this journal article looks at the principles for just and effective systemic risk governance. In looking at systemic risk and global supply chains, the impending El Niño has the potential to severely impact global supply chains according to this article. A new report has been released that maps critical vulnerabilities in the world’s interconnected systems and is accessible via this link.
In disaster risk reduction, The Climate System Hub of the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) has released a guide on finding and selecting the right climate change information for your needs, which can be accessed here. The Global Centre on Adaptation has released a report on stories of resilience and lessons from local adaptation.
Focusing on First Nation's knowledge, here is an interesting book chapter in the Handbook on Climate Change Vulnerability, Environments and Communities that looks at three layers of vulnerability in climatic and environmental crises and the role of cultural caring practices.
For animals in disasters, here is an interesting commentary that reframes the large amount of people that refused to evacuate during Hurricane Katrina due to having nowhere to take their animals as a planning failure rather than a behavioural problem.
Recognising inequity, collaborating4inclusion has released a national synthesis report on disabilities in emergency management, accessible here. Furthermore, here is a publication sharing global evidence on women’s empowerment and climate resilience. In an already inequitable world, this article covers how often after storm passes, inequities worsen with the wealthier accumulating more wealth and the lower income population falling deeper into poverty. The 2026 Global report on Internal Displacement by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) examines displacement trends across 146 countries and territories affected by conflict, violence and disasters. The full report can be accessed here.
Looking at weather and climate change, the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters has released its latest report on disaster numbers for the year 2025 (earth, wind, and fire). Here is an Australian Conversation article that covers a new study exploring how climate change may shift hailstorms towards the earth’s poles.
There has been a quite a focus on different hazards this month, including modeling that show a second wave of algal bloom may soon move through the Spencer Gulf in South Australia. AFAC (the National Council for fire and emergency services in Australia and New Zealand) also released the Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for Winter of 2026. It predicts an increased risk of fire across the northern parts of the Great Sandy Desert and surrounds in WA, and parts of central and northern NSW.
Focusing on extreme heat, this article looks at women’s wellbeing and everyday adaption to heat. Meanwhile, this commentary from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute argues that the lethal humidity we are facing may be one of climate change’s most overlooked threats.
In health, the national pollutant inventory shares data on yearly industrial emissions through the Digital Atlas of Australia. Meanwhile, the ABC’s climate team and climate media organisation shares a story on the impacts of bushfire smoke on unborn children.
In governance, leadership, and capacity building, this report looks at monitoring and evaluating resilience investments and frameworks and methods to do so. On the topic of resilience funding, this article by the Boston Consulting Group outlines how investors can bridge the funding gap for infrastructure resilience using blended finance.
Looking at knowledge development and translation, read this commentary on how to employ scientific empowerment to target misinformation campaigns, anti-intellectual political leaders, and growing public scepticism. Additionally, this is a journal article on the topic of seeing the hazard and the effects of visual communication in flood warning messages. On a similar scientific note, here is a journal article that looks at how knowledge brokering organisations jointly translate scientific research into societal impact.
Examining the frontiers in technology, Greenpeace Australia has released a report on the environmental impacts of AI, access the report here. This is an article that looks at AI in disaster risk reduction and who is being left out.
Back in time, on the 18th May 1980, Mount St Helens erupted for the first time since 1857, killing 57 people. Read more here about the eruption and the photographers that captured the event in real time all those years ago.
Did you know, there is currently a mouse plague taking over parts of Australia, which may be hard to visualise. This article has taken this issue and put it into a visual way to help people better understand the extent of the problem.
On a more positive note, did you know that trees and greenery can cool cities by as much as 18 degrees, but only if they are the right type? Read more about which trees are the best and the research behind it here.
WNIK Radio
Here is the latest podcast in the how to disaster podcast series covering the topic on how we may have been fighting fires wrong for the last 100 years.
Finally, the latest episode in the Pacific Prepared Podcast was released this month and features a Tongan resident discussing how they learnt a lot from their father and ancestors and the importance and relevance of traditional knowledge alongside modern technology – listen here.
Compiled by Blythe McLennan and Lexi Barrington