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Details of all of our upcoming public events and our latest news and commentary.
IRDR Public Events Calendar 2023–24
EventDate

Book Launch: The Politics of Crisis-Making

Tuesday 3 October, 5:15–7:15pm
IOM UN Migration Hackathon: Bridging Climate Change and Human MobilityFriday 6 October – Saturday 7 October, 10:00am–6:00pm
MAPS IE Seminar: Academic Consultancy (using research to influence global strategic policies)Wednesday 11 October, 2:00–3:00 pm
IRDR monthly event Gender and sexual minorities in disaster risk reduction (DRR): Reference guide launch Friday 13 October, 6:00–8:00pm
UCL Lunch Hour Lecture | Is climate change increasing disasters?Tuesday 17 October, 1:00–2:00 pm
Online workshop on data utilisation Monday 6 – Tuesday 7 November
Everyday Violence and Disasters Research Group ConferenceSaturday 11 November
Introduction to humanitarian studies online tasterMonday 13 November 4:30-6:30pm
IRDR monthly event: Risk, sustainability and green financeTuesday 14 November, 6:00–8:00pm
IRDR monthly event: What's behind modern slavery in the UK? Tuesday 12 December,  6:00–8:00pm
IRDR monthly event: Hope and inspiration for futures under climate changeTuesday 30 January 2024, 6:00–7:30pm
IRDR career discovery eveningWednesday 21 February, 5:30–8pm
IRDR monthly event: From a tribulation to a trial: Navigating research in complex environments: The Ebola experienceTBC
IRDR monthly event: Essential yet exploited? Invisibilised frontline workers during the pandemicFriday 15 March, 5:30–7:00pm
IRDR monthly event: Digital public health in emergenciesTBC
IRDR 14th Annual Conference Tuesday 25 June
DRI and IRDR collegiate conferenceTBC
UCL IRDR in the Media

Experts from the UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction are frequently called upon for commentary and insights during and after major disasters. Recent UCL IRDR media appearances include:

Dr Yulia Ioffe on Belarus's suspected role in the transfers of children
23 May 2023, Dr Yulia Ioffe was interviewed by Reuters as part of an article on Ukraine investigating the role of Belarus in transfers of children.
www.reuters.com/world/europe/belarus-accused-role-transfers-ukrainian-children-2023-05-23/

Dr Sarah Dryhurst on how music can influence climate change action
31 March 2023, Dr Sarah Dryhurst was quoted in a LA Times article and featured in an associated podcast about the Tempo: Music for Climate Action research project, which looks at whether music can influence climnate change action.
www.latimes.com/podcasts/story/2023-03-31/column-one-podcast-lucy-jones-climate-music

Prof Ilan Kelman on whether we can reduce lives lost from extreme weather
2 January 2023, Prof Ilan Kelman appeared on the BBC World Service programme 'The Climate Question' discussing how the number of lives lost due to extreme weather can be reduced.
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct3kk2

Prof Joanna Faure Walker on how to respond and reconstruct when disaster strikes
13 December 2022, Prof Joanna Faure Walker appeared on Euronews as part of a panel discussing disaster reconstruction with a focus on the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami.
www.euronews.com/2022/12/06/euronews-debates-how-do-you-respond-and-reconstruct-when-disaster-strikes

Dr Mohammad Shamsudduha on how irrigation systems in Bangladesh may help to avoid flooding
15 September 2022, Dr Mohammad Shamsudduha was quoted in a New Scientist article about how farmers' irrigation systems are helping to avoid flooding in Bangladesh. The piece referenced research conducted by Shams and published in Science.
www.newscientist.com/article/2338117-farmers-in-bangladesh-pump-so-much-water-it-may-help-reduce-floods/

Dr Gianluca Pescaroli on how banks are preparing for winter power shortages
7 September 2022, Dr Gianluca Pescaroli was featured in a Reuter's analysis of how European banks and financial institutions are preparing for potential winter power shortages.
www.reuters.com/business/finance/europes-banks-dim-lights-they-brace-winter-blackout-2022-09-07/

23 September 2022, he also appeared in a feature on Bloomberg UK about how banks are using their lockdown plans to prepare for power blackouts.
www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-23/banks-dust-off-lockdown-plans-to-beat-possible-power-blackouts 

Dr Louisa Acciari on the devastating floods in Recife
29 May 2022, Dr Louisa Acciari gave an interview to French-language news channel RFI about the flooding in Recife.
www.rfi.fr/fr/amériques/20220529-brésil-pluies-et-glissements-de-terrain-meurtriers-dans-le-nord-est-du-pays

Dr Gianluca Pescaroli on why risk management experts are in high demand
10 March 2022, Dr Gianluca Pescaoli was featured in a BBC article about the demand for risk management experts and their increasing importance in the workplace.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60660760 

Prof Ilan Kelman on the 'grim reading' but glimmers of hope in major UN report on Climate Change
28 February 2022, Prof Ilan Kelman was quoted by ITV in a story about the findings of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, published in February 2022. https://www.itv.com/news/2022-02-28/climate-change-threatening-human-civilisation-and-time-is-running-out

Prof Kelman also published two commentaries on the report: Psychology and The Conversation.

Dr Joanna Faure Walker on predicting earthquakes
21 March 2021, Dr Faure Walker appeared on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's "Naked scientists" programme discussing why we cannot predict earthquakes. 

#MyLockdownJournal
25 June 2020, the Centre for Digital Public Health in Emergencies' app that tracks people's coronavirus lockdown activities was featured in the Mail Online and iNews. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8455071/More-half-locked-Britons-exercising-day.html

Covid-19 pandemic coverage
March–April 2020, a number of our staff appeared in the global media about the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, commenting on aspects ranging from prevention, preparedness, and emergency management for a pandemic to the international political effects, the consequences of lockdown, and digital epidemiology. Some of those appearances are listed in this news article.

Dr Gianluca Pescaroli on flooding and flood risk
1 March 2020, Dr Gianluca Pescaroli discussing flooding and flood risk in the wake of storms Ciara and Dennis in early 2020, on Sky Breakfast News (Sunday). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itMCPqMtTuA

Dr Robert Wicks and Professor Ilan Kelman on the impact of solar storms on power networks
18 January 2020, as Sky One aired disaster drama series COBRA, Dr Robert Wicks and Professor Ilan Kelman spoke to Sky News about the impact of solar storms on power networks.

https://news.sky.com/story/cobra-could-power-on-earth-really-be-wiped-out-by-a-solar-storm-11905286 

IRDR and Tohoku University IRIDeS on the Role of Gender in Evacuation
11 October 2018, Prof Maureen Fordham, other IRDR staff and our colleagues at Tohoku University feature on NHK News, Japan's largest broadcasting organisation (in Japanese)
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20181012/k10011668431000.html 

Prof David Alexander commentary on Hurricane Ophelia and Ireland

18 October 2017, an opinion piece in the Irish Times newspaper on "Why Ireland had to shut down for Ophelia". https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/why-ireland-had-to-shut-down-for-storm-ophelia-1.3259486

Dr Joanna Faure Walker on September 2017 Mexico City Earthquake

Thursday 21st September 2017, discussing damage and risk reduction relating to the Mexico City earthquake on BBC News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjaV1qCmxMc

Wednesday 20th September, commentary on the Mexico Earthquake on TRT World news: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eCAasrlmiX4

Dr Joanna Faure Walker on Caribbean Hurricanes

Saturday 9th September 2017, commentary post disaster housing in the Caribbean on Radio 4's Today Programme: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09309gz

Dr Ilan Kelman commentary on Hurricane Harvey

Friday 1st September 2017, authored an article in Dezeen: "Urban design caused the Hurricane Harvey disaster": https://www.dezeen.com/2017/09/01/urban-design-caused-hurricane-harvey-disaster-houston-flooding-ilan-kelman-opinion/

Thursday 31st August 2017, interviewed by CBC News on Hurricane Harvey and the poor (audio link): http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1036699715511

Wednesday 30th August 2017, authored an article in The Independent on  No, climate change didn't cause the Hurricane Harvey disaster – society did: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/hurricane-harvey-climate-change-infrastructure-government-weather-texas-a7920106.html

Wednesday 30th August 2017, quoted in Press TV: More storms expected due to global warming, scientists say: http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/08/30/533471/Global-Warming-Hurricane-Harvey-Scientists

Tuesday 29th August 2017, quoted in BBC News: Hurricane Harvey: The link to climate change: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-41082668

Tuesday 29th August 2017, authored an article in The Conversation on  Don’t blame climate change for the Hurricane Harvey disaster – blame society: https://theconversation.com/dont-blame-climate-change-for-the-hurricane-harvey-disaster-blame-society-83163 also published on Yahoo News News https://www.yahoo.com/news/don-apos-t-blame-climate-121158519.html

Tuesday 29th August 2017, authored an article in Yes! Magazine: Hurricane Harvey Isn’t a “Natural” Disaster. Politics Created the Chaos: http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/hurricane-harvey-isnt-a-natural-disaster-politics-created-the-chaos-20170829, also published on Vox Populi https://voxpopulisphere.com/2017/08/30/ilan-kelman/

Dr Ilan Kelman on Climate Migrants

Friday 18th August 2017, authored an article in Thompson Reuters Foundation News, on How do islanders think about becoming climate migrants?

http://news.trust.org/item/20170818141947-h98ta

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