Photo Credit: Danijela Vasic/Wikicommons Are discussions of resilience really relevant – or is this just a passing fad? The case of floods in Serbia, outlined below, illustrates just how important these discussions can be. Between May 14 and 18, 2014, Southeastern Europe received heavy rains, causing torrential floods and landslides. Serbia was the hardest hit country. Although official flood damage reports have not yet been published, it is estimated that at least 51 people have died, 18,000 houses and 3,700 km of roads damaged, 2,260 public, industrial, and infrastructural facilities flooded, and thousands of people displaced. These damages could cost Serbia 1.5 to 2 billion euros. The nex

It is the morning of the fourth day after the floods began. As I look out my window, the skies are gray and cloudy with the threat of additional rain. Cleanup began yesterday. The two days before, and the long nights in between, vanished in periods of waiting interspersed with moments of intense work and anxiety. The rain varying in intensity, the water flowing in different ways down our block, neighbors building barricades to direct the flow; a chaotic jumble of images in memory. Now the cleanup has begun. Shoveling “chocolate soup” from a neighbor’s doorway, standing in line for rubber boots, the sound of helicopters overhead. This is all the reality of living in a flood-hit area. For some

GreenCleanGuide.com is a credible information and analysis provider in the field of Environment, Energy, Sustainability and Clean technologies. Please visit original article on the interview with Chris Allan here. GCG: When was ISET established and how was the idea conceived? ISET was established in 1997. The idea was generated by a number of action researchers who saw the need for an organization that would bring together committed people in the Global South and the North on an equal footing to solve some of the complex social and environmental issues of our time. GCG: What are some of the chief activities and objectives of your organisation? ISET works with policy makers, civil society gro

The Vietnamese Mekong River Delta (MRD) is the region through which the Mekong River enters the East Sea of Vietnam. The delta, with a total area of four million hectares, has nearly 18 million inhabitants (about 22% of the entire population of Vietnam) and is host to a range of agricultural land-uses: including rice, fruit trees, annual industrial crops, aquaculture and forestry. It has now been recognized that the MRD is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, particularly sea level rise and severe floods and impacts have and will continue to go far beyond the coping strategies of local communities. Meanwhile, infrastructure developments in the MRD supporting the intensificatio

The July newsletter includes links to new publications, a presentation on the key findings of a temperature resilience case study in Pakistan, and an exploration of the impacts of a rising heat index.

Appealing to values, identity, and sense of self can have powerful implications. On a basic level, it is how many people form friendships and alliances. They effect how we process information and to some degree how we accept, support, or reject an idea. For example, deciding what team has your allegiance during the 2014 World Cup can simply be a product of your nationality. But when faced with an issue that is complex and multi-faceted, it is easier for many to accept notions from people they already align themselves with and who share similar interests, than from those they would normally not. Enter the climate change ‘debate’. Creating effective dialog as well as support towards transforma