High-impact, low-probability (HILP) events, characterised by their extreme consequences and inherent unpredictability, pose a growing challenge to disaster risk reduction in an era of systemic and cascading crises. Traditional risk assessment frameworks, which rely on probability-based models, often fail to capture the full scope of these events, leaving critical vulnerabilities unaddressed. This semi-systematic state-of-the-a...

Effectively evaluating emerging technologies requires navigating both immense potential and significant uncertainty. While Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) offer a standard for tracking technical progress, they often postpone vital safety assessments. This can lead to technologically mature innovations facing unexpected safety hurdles late in development, jeopardizing commercial viability, and squandering resources. This pap...

Water security in arid and semi-arid Middle Eastern climates has been severely impacted by effects of climate change such as reduced precipitation, diminished storage, increased evapotranspiration, and prolonged heat waves. These climate effects are compounded in Iraq, where populations, agriculture, industry, and energy rely heavily on varying transboundary water flows to meet water demands. Iraq’s most profitable sector, ene...

As the governance of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) evolves, innovations in the prevention, mitigation, management, and transfer of risk shape discussion of how nanotechnology may mature and reach various marketplaces. Safety-by-Design (SbD) is one leading concept that, while equally philosophy as well as risk-based practice, can uniquely help address lingering uncertainties and concerns stemming from regulatory evaluation of...