The global cost of disasters is growing: The economic burden of disasters is intensifying. While the direct costs of disasters averaged $70–80 billion a year between 1970 and 2000, between 2001 and 2020 these annual costs grew significantly to $180–200 billion. But the real cost is far higher. Disaster costs …
The fisheries sector holds great importance for small island developing States (SIDS) of Asia and the Pacific. For many Governments, fisheries bring much-needed public revenues. Government income from the fisheries sector expanded significantly with the establishment of the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in 1982, providing SIDS with greater …
The report—a collaborative effort between the International Labour Organization and ADB—finds that the employment prospects of the region’s 660 million young people are severely challenged. They will be hit harder than adults and risk bearing higher longer-term economic and social costs. The report urges governments to engage with young people …
Asia and the Pacific is facing its worst economic contraction at least since the 1970s due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The consequent economic weakness is likely to set back the region’s socio-economic progress and is predicted to push a significant number of people into unemployment and poverty while increasing inequality. …
This brief assesses the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on migrant workers, how reduced remittances will affect households and economies in Asia and the Pacific, and what policy makers can do to soften the blow. Job losses stemming from COVID-19 are hurting households around the world, but for Asia …
The ocean and its resources are the lifelines of Asia and the Pacific. As a resource for the economy, livelihoods and identity for coastal communities, the condition of the ocean is inextricably linked to the pathways of sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. Produced in line with the 76th …
The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) finances innovative projects to expand sustainable energy access as part of a joint initiative with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). ADFD committed USD 350 million to support renewable energy uptake in developing countries through seven annual selection and funding cycles starting in …
This publication examines the physical, material and psychological gender-differentiated impacts of weather and climate as well as the gender-specific needs for information and services on the basis of primary data emerging from 18 case studies, including three in-depth studies (Bangladesh, Fiji and Botswana) and other empirical evidence. It explores the …
Climate change is “absolutely” already causing deaths, according to a new report on the health impacts of the climate crisis, which also predicts climate-related stunting, malnutrition and lower IQ in children within the coming decades. The report, From Townsville to Tuvalu, produced by Monash University in Melbourne, pulled together scientific …
This Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme (CMEP) report provides a summary of climate change impacts on coasts and seas in the Pacific island region, and how Pacific islands can respond.
Sustainable Development Goal 16 (the ‘peace goal’) is a key policy opportunity to safeguard development gains in the Pacific. Fostering peaceful sustainable development in the Pacific will require a re-thinking of the development approaches taken, particularly where pervasive exclusion and inequality are linked to potential drivers of conflict. This paper …
Pacific island countries are highly vulnerable to various natural disasters which are destructive, unpredictable and occur frequently. The frequency and scale of these shocks heightens the importance of medium-term economic and fiscal planning to minimize the adverse impact of disasters on economic development. This paper identifies the intensity of natural …
Climate change and natural disasters can have lasting consequences on livelihoods, economies, and fiscal balances—spanning immediate reconstruction costs and fiscal shocks to long-term halts in tourism and agriculture economies. Globally, the most exposed to these impacts are the Pacific island countries. The Asian Development Bank is working closely with its …
This World Bank knowledge note describes a benchmarking method developed to track the progress of Pacific Island Countries toward sustainable flood risk management. Twelve benchmarks (or "tracking tools") cover most aspects of a flood risk management process including understanding of flood risks, evaluating options to better manage the risk, and …
BONN, Germany (Reuters) - Many nations have become less vulnerable to natural disasters ranging from cyclones to earthquakes because of improved preparedness, but Pacific island states remain most at risk, a study showed on Tuesday. Climate change is raising risks by increasing the numbers of severe downpours, storm surges or …
Climate change is already forcing people from their land and homes, and putting many more at risk of displacement in the future. Supercharged storms, more intense droughts, rising seas and other impacts of climate change all magnify existing vulnerabilities and the likelihood of displacement – disproportionately affecting low-income countries, women, …
Mobilizing adequate financing for sustainable development will be a challenge for all countries, but will be particularly difficult for Pacific Small Island Developing States where financing needs for sustainable, climate-sensitive development are estimated to be among the highest in the world when measured as a proportion of national output. They …
Climate change will hit the Pacific harder than anywhere else on Earth and the region's tiny island nations need major international aid to deal with the challenge, the World Bank said. A World Bank report, "Pacific Possible", draws on research from numerous sources to back the long-held view of regional …
Governments of 100 countries still lacking disaster early warning systems have a duty to invest in the projects, which could save lives and property, and reap longer-term economic benefits, the U.N.'s meteorological agency said. With vulnerable countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands among those still without early …
One of the world’s most remote places, an uninhabited coral atoll, is also one of its most polluted. Henderson Island, a tiny landmass in the eastern South Pacific, has been found by marine scientists to have the highest density of anthropogenic debris recorded anywhere in the world, with 99.8% of …
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck north of the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake was recorded at a depth of 175 km (108 miles) and was located about 115 km (71 miles) north of Vanuatu's Santo island, …
