All posts tagged: Preparedness

Centre for Disaster Protection closes disaster preparedness gap

Centre for Disaster Protection closes disaster preparedness gap

Published by skeptic

Conor Meenan, Head of Labs at the Centre for Disaster Protection, discusses how innovation can help governments move from reacting to disasters to preparing for them before they strike. The cost, complexity, and frequency of climate and disaster impacts are on the rise. But the systems that many countries’ governments rely on were not built for planning and responding to these, or are struggling to keep up. The gap is widening fastest where risks are highest. Despite being able to anticipate future shocks, disaster planning and financing systems still too often treat disasters like surprises. Most money is arranged in the heat of the crisis – emergency budget allocations, borrowing, and unpredictable support from the international system. These responses are not only unreliable and inefficient, they can also be harmful. Funds raided from health, education, and social protection budgets carry consequences that extend well beyond the disaster itself. The case for pre-arranging financing Some countries are starting to choose a different path. By arranging financing in advance of a storm on the horizon, they can …

How Wildfire Protection, Inc. enhances wildfire preparedness

How Wildfire Protection, Inc. enhances wildfire preparedness

Published by skeptic

The Innovation Platform spoke with Don Green, President of Wildfire Protection, Inc., about the organisation’s efforts to enhance wildfire preparedness in underserved communities and the proactive strategies aimed at mitigating the threat of wildfire. Wildfires pose a significant threat to communities, especially in regions vulnerable to dry conditions and strong winds. The devastating impact of these fires can lead to the loss of homes, natural landscapes, as well as loss of life. With climate change amplifying these risks, taking proactive measures to combat wildfires is more essential than ever. Wildfire Protection, Inc. plays an important role in addressing these challenges by equipping underserved and high-risk communities with the knowledge and resources necessary for effective wildfire preparedness. To learn more about the wildfire risk in Southern Arizona and the efforts of Wildfire Protection Inc. to address these dangers, we spoke with Don Green, the organisation’s President. Can you provide an overview of your organisation and how Wildfire Protection Inc. improves community readiness for wildfires? Wildfires are inevitable in many landscapes, but the loss of homes and …

‘Paradox’ for journalists in Lebanon: ‘High press freedom, extremely low safety preparedness’

‘Paradox’ for journalists in Lebanon: ‘High press freedom, extremely low safety preparedness’

Published by Sam Flores

Haxie Meyers-Belkin is pleased to welcome Ayman Mhanna, Executive Director of the Beirut-based Samir Kassir Foundation. He describes a media landscape in which expressive freedom coexists with insecurity. The conditions necessary to protect journalists remain dangerously insufficient, particularly in war zones, where targeting the press has become normalised. Mhanna sees tension within Lebanese society, between enduring traditions of solidarity and a rising tide of polarisation. If left unchecked, this internal fragmentation risks becoming more damaging than the conflict that provoked it. Keywords for this article Source link

UK launches £1bn Pandemic Preparedness Strategy

UK launches £1bn Pandemic Preparedness Strategy

Published by skeptic

The framework is accompanied by roughly £1bn in funding aimed at strengthening vaccine access, surveillance systems, and national testing capacity. Published by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the strategy coincides with the government’s formal response to findings from the Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 2 report, which examined decision-making and governance during the pandemic. Speaking on the new strategy, UK Minister of State for Security, Dan Jarvis, said: “It’s right we learn the lessons from the devastating impact Covid-19 had on our health service and society. Our new pandemic strategy marks a major improvement in the government’s preparedness for future pandemics. “Whether increasing the supply of British-made vaccines, or stockpiling PPE for key workers, we’re working with partners across the public and private sector to take action to keep the country safe.” A shift from influenza-focused planning The new Pandemic Preparedness Strategy replaces the UK’s 2011 pandemic influenza plan, reflecting a broader approach to managing a wider range of biological threats. Rather than focusing on a single class of virus, the updated framework introduces …

Reinforcing Europe’s pandemic preparedness

Reinforcing Europe’s pandemic preparedness

Published by skeptic

From routine infections to emerging health threats, being ready for what comes next is essential. Pandemic preparedness sits at the heart of that effort. Dr Lennie Derde, newly appointed CEO of the Ecraid medical research network, shares how stronger European collaboration and EU backing are building a more agile and coordinated clinical research response across the continent. Being prepared for emerging infectious diseases is not only about responding to emergencies. It also means having the right research systems in place every day, so that new knowledge can be generated quickly and shared across borders when needed. This is the ambition behind the European Clinical Research Alliance on Infectious Diseases (Ecraid), a pan-European, not-for-profit research network whose goal is to improve how Europe studies and responds to infectious diseases, including antimicrobial resistance and other emerging health threats. Derde, an intensive care physician and infectious disease researcher with first-hand experience of pandemic-scale research, became Ecraid’s new CEO in January 2026. She previously led the European region of the global REMAP-CAP trial, one of the landmark studies that rapidly identified …

‘A combination of adaptation, preparedness and mitigation’ is needed to tackle climate change

‘A combination of adaptation, preparedness and mitigation’ is needed to tackle climate change

Published by Sam Flores

Climate change worsened by human behaviour made 2025 one of the three hottest years on record, according to a new report by World Weather Attribution. It was also the first time that the three-year temperature average broke through the 1.5 degrees Celsius thresshold. Jean-Pascal Van Ypersele, Professor of Climatology and Environmental Sciences at University College Louvain in Belgium, tells us more. Keywords for this article Source link

OpenAI looks to hire a new Head of Preparedness to deal with AI’s dangers

OpenAI looks to hire a new Head of Preparedness to deal with AI’s dangers

Published by skeptic

OpenAI is hiring a new Head of Preparedness, a role that CEO Sam Altman calls a “critical role at an important time.” What is a Head of Preparedness? It’s a role that basically helps OpenAI consider all the potential harms of its models and what can be done to mitigate them. Those harms encompass a wide range of issues, from mental health concerns to cybersecurity risks.  “We have a strong foundation of measuring growing capabilities, but we are entering a world where we need more nuanced understanding and measurement of how those capabilities could be abused, and how we can limit those downsides both in our products and in the world, in a way that lets us all enjoy the tremendous benefits,” Altman said in a post on X announcing the company’s hiring for the role. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. As Engadget points out, OpenAI hasn’t had a dedicated Head of Preparedness since July 2024. At the time, the role was assumed by two OpenAI executives …