By Stacy Kotorac and Radha Neelakantan

Flooding across the world has dominated the news headlines of the past few weeks, with millions affected in Australia, Brazil, Colombia and Sri Lanka, not to mention last summer’s devastating floods in Pakistan.  The damage is prompting governments to put their adaptation policies and disaster-response plans on the fast track. Sri Lanka’s former Minister of Disaster Management says, “Sri Lanka needs to be well prepared. We do not want to wait till the people become climate refugees as is happening in other parts of the world.” One of the strategies Sri Lanka is working on involves weather-resistant crops, especially rice, with many farmers reverting back to traditional, hardy varieties.  Across the globe, the NY Times highlighted Brazil’s lack of disaster preparedness, noting that although the severe rains were forecast in advance, residents could not be evacuated in time due to the lack of an early-warning system. Brazil’s government is starting to address the issue, with a top UN official saying that “[t]he political choice we have today is to not treat disasters as events that come and go, but decide that you plan for them and realize that they are very costly.” More >>>