What is the Climate Finance Vulnerability Index (CliF-VI)?

By: Amy Campbell, Student Researcher, National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) Adaptation finance is critically underfunded, with existing finance skewed toward mitigation and middle-income markets. Many countries facing the highest climate risk also carry significant debt burdens and have been repeatedly downgraded by credit rating agencies, thereby increasing their cost of capital and pushing adaptation …

LA Fire Disaster: Protecting Children in Physical and Psychological Harm’s Way

The massive fire catastrophe in LA will be remembered as one of the most devastating disasters in modern U.S. history. Having worked on the prevention of, response to, and recovery from megadisasters for many years, I have watched how the devastation of such events impacts communities and people, especially people with important vulnerabilities like chronic …

Columbia Climate School Showcase: Insights and Future Steps

A high school intern reflects on the Columbia Climate School Showcase and its key takeaways. Written by Michelle Rozenfeld, High School Intern at NCDP, Senior at Bergen County Academies As a society, it is evident that we are experiencing more exceptional extremes, both environmentally and socially, than we could have previously imagined for this time …

Training Solutions: Enhancing Tribal Nations’ Readiness and Resilience

U.S. Tribal Nations have historically been disproportionately affected by disasters but without access to vital resources before, during, and after calamitous events. The risks to Tribal Nations only increase in the face of climate change, which will further exacerbate inequities and pose new challenges for Tribal communities. The National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) of …

NCDP 20th Anniversary Reflections and Impacts

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks and the anthrax exposures, centers throughout the United States were set up to prepare for and make our nation more resilient. In 2003, the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP), Columbia University, was founded to provide an academically based, interdisciplinary center focused on the capacity to prevent, respond to, and …

The Beginnings of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP)

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks and the anthrax exposures, centers throughout the United States were set up to prepare for and make our nation more resilient. In 2003, the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP), Columbia University, was founded to provide an academically based, interdisciplinary center focused on the capacity to prevent, respond to, and …