Maxwell School News and Commentary

Women in Bangladesh suffer disproportionately during floods, as Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment, has documented in a study, in part because they bear the brunt of responsibility for managing water and food for their household, as well as taking care of their children.

"Extreme Weather Events and Local Fiscal Responses: Evidence from U.S. Counties," co-authored by Yilin Hou, professor of public administration and international affairs, was published in Economics of Disasters and Climate Change.

"We're getting lots of intense rain in short periods of time. And that just means that a lot of the drainage systems in cities, especially with old sort of infrastructure, can't handle that amount of runoff in that quick of a time," says Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science.

Citing the work of organizations like Global Witness in conflict zones worldwide, Selina Gallo-Cruz, associate professor of sociology, points out that a significant part of the violence on this planet comes from the North's "extraction of natural resources through mining or deforestation—palm oil plantations are a big one—and mega-, mega-agricultural projects," all of which lead to "outbreaks of very violent conflict."

When there is less precipitation than normal, warmer temperatures cause vegetation to dry out more quickly, says Ethan Coffel, assistant professor of geography and the environment.

What is clear is that the Canadian wildfires are a product of man-produced climate change and climate disasters are going to become more commonplace, says Jacob Bendix, professor emeritus of geography and the environment.

"Before this week, it was easy for those of us in the East to think that suffocating wildfire smoke was solely a West Coast problem. But no longer. The smoke clouding our skies, scratching our throats and watering our eyes shows we’re all Westerners now," writes Robert Wilson, associate professor of geography and the environment.

How can governments properly prepare now for when the next disaster strikes? Chris Mihm, adjunct professor of public administration and international affairs, provides six steps that give leaders a practical approach to emergency preparedness in a report published by the IBM Center for The Business of Government.

Anne Mosher, associate professor of geography and the environment, was featured in the Forbes article, "U.S. Government Marshals Resources To Meet Challenges Of Back-To-Back Hurricanes."

Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science, was quoted in the High Country News article, "Rising rivers don’t necessarily follow the lines on a map."