What's New in Knowledge | February 2026

The latest issue (January 2026) of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management (AJEM) is available to access here.  

In understanding consequences and recovery, the Insurance Council of Australia has released its Insurance Catastrophe Resilience Report for 2024-2025, which is available to read here. The report provides policy recommendations for improving resilience to future disasters and finds that ‘the gap between those with adequate insurance and those without is widening – leaving more Australians vulnerable and increasing demands on public resources’ (p.26). Kamal Kishore, from the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction, has written a piece on the topic of getting post-disaster housing recovery right, and reiterates the importance of building back better. Here is an interesting research article on how lived experiences of disaster displacement reshape place attachment that is focused on the Northern Rivers floods in 2022. Another news article written by the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction covers the important topic of why recovery speed shapes resilience and highlights the central place of resilience-oriented financial systems and recovery readiness.  

In the context of systemic risk, this ABC News report warns that Los Angeles-like fires are possible for Australia’s capital cities. Also, on the topic of wildfires, here is a Guardian report on how the world is losing its forests to wildfires with an interactive map feature to help readers comprehend the extent of wildfire impacts. The ASRA (Accelerator for Systemic Risk Assessment) Network has begun a new project looking at the systemic implications of exceeding 1.5°C as well as another great project on looking at risks beyond human eyes.  

In disaster risk reduction, this publication looks at the breakdown of silos and the movement towards multi-sectoral approaches to mitigating the cascading impacts of climate and natural hazards. A new action research project by the Placemaking Clarence Valley (PCV) living lab has begun working in partnership with the communities affected by the 2019-20 bushfires to trial innovations in community led disaster resilience.  This is a great article published in AJEM (January 2025) that explores the role of human-centred communication in building sustainable community disaster resilience in Australia. Also, the Resilient Cities Network has published a new guidebook for community resilience that focuses on neighbours, businesses, and place-based organisations, which can be accessed and downloaded for use here.  

Focusing on First Nations knowledge, this research paper studies Karen Indigenous approaches in forest fire governance in Myanmar and Northern Thailand. It explains that expanding commercial agriculture, forest degradation, and policies against traditional farming are erasing Karen fire‑management knowledge and cultural ties to fire, knowledge that is essential for reducing dangerous forest fires, and supporting just forest governance.  Here is a fascinating article that looks at how landscape interventions made by ancient Indigenous societies, such as selective planting and composting have made today’s Amazon more resilient by increasing biomass.  

For children and young people, here is an article on children’s voices in disaster recovery and the lessons taken from the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake. It reiterates the importance of treating children as active participants in disaster planning and post-disaster rebuilding. A new article in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction presents a place-based framework to understand family disaster recovery that draws on family experiences in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. Also, in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction this month is a journal article that covers a transdisciplinary approach to empowering children in disaster risk reduction. For children and young people – and also adults – the Teacher Academy Project has published a resource for designing board games centred around climate crisis resilience. On a more serious note, this developmental study undertaken by New York University has identified the harm excessive heat is causing young children in economically disadvantaged households by undermining their early literacy and numeracy development.  

Recognising inequity, the World Bank has released a paper that examines the links between climate change, conflict, and social sustainability with a focus on inclusion, resilience, cohesion and legitimacy. The World Bank has also released a factsheet on the role of resilient housing reconstruction in disaster risk management in fragile, conflict, and violence-affected countries, accessible here. The People in Need (PIN) network has published an informative article on the importance of disability screening for early action and why it matters for early action. Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction outlines 3 areas where gender inequality has clear implications for resilient development. It advocates for ‘strengthening gender-responsive data systems, expanding inclusive governance, and ensuring equitable access to disaster and climate financing’ – read more here.  

Looking at weather and climate change, in Australia, Western Sydney University has published research that found Australian heatwaves are now 5 times more likely than they were prior to industrialisation.  

There has been quite a focus on many different hazards in the media this month, including the devastating Mt Maunganui landslide which has reminding us that landslides are New Zealand’s deadliest natural hazard. 2026 has also been touted as the ‘year of water’, with water dominating the World Economic Forum’s Davos 2026 agenda. In line with this, this article highlights how shifts in the global water cycle are amplifying climate disasters across the globe.  

Focusing on extreme heat, here is an interesting read on adaptive urban economies which shows that extreme heat drives changes in consumer spending behaviour and recommends that nighttime infrastructure should be considered as essential components of climate adaptation toolkits. Meanwhile, an article in The Conversation explains the anatomy of a heatwave and how humid air and atmospheric waves drove brutal heat in southeastern Australia in January.  

In health, Phoenix Australia and Natural Hazards Research Australia have released world-first good practice principles for tracking potentially traumatic event exposure and organisational responses in emergency services. Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a new edited book on health system resilience and understanding complex adaptive systems. On a different note to the impacts of heat on individuals’ health, here is an article on how cold waves pose heightened health risks in Korean adults over the age of 60. This blog looks at the mental health impacts of landslide disasters. An article from the Federation of American Scientists describes the long-term effects of disasters and the ongoing threat to public health.  

Looking at knowledge development and translation, in Canada, climate misinformation is becoming a national security threat, and the country doesn’t feel ready for it.  

Examining the frontiers in technology, the Australian Federal Government has released its National AI plan and it’s set to be managed under existing laws across the country. Meanwhile, AI has been paving the way in improving flood projections under climate change – read more here.