Surviving Extremes: Prepare, Invest, Save Money

Surviving Extremes: Prepare, Invest, Save Money – Deadly back-to-back climate disasters are making us question whether we are now ready for these new “normal” extreme events. So, this month, we turn to the youngest member of our team, Matthew Williamson, our summer intern who shares his hopes & fears in a future of escalating extremes.

Richer regions are more likely to receive investments for resilience, but what about remote regions which have been repeatedly hit by deadly cloudbursts, glacier collapse and flash floods? Here, we get ICIMOD to unpack the rising costs of mountain melt across the Himalayas, then we talk to ADB about its ambitious U$3.5bn “glaciers to farms” program for Central & West Asia, as well as speak to rural resilience expert, Meghna Mukherjee on traditional practices to fight droughts in India & Ethiopia.

CWR intern Williamson feels like there’s been an extreme event every week this summer – since July, flash floods have struck Texas & Beijing, while Hong Kong broke records with five black rain events. With the worst still to come, he worries about how we can prepare better for disasters. Can early warning systems or AI and tech help? Should we adapt or retreat?

See Williamson’s 5 thoughts on these and take a whirlwind tour of 5G, VR googles, satellites and how the next generation is embracing climate extremes head-on. Threats bring opportunities – he thinks we can save lives, save money AND make money. See what kind of jobs he thinks are out there in the future, plus check out why he thinks retreating is not giving up.

Catastrophes cost US$320 billion globally last year according to Munich Re but the UN says investment in early warning systems could avoid losses of US$3-16 billion every year. Moreover, global annual revenues from a select set of climate adaptation solutions including weather intel are projected by GIC to grow to US$4 trillion by 2050. Williamson’s clearly on to something.

Over in the Himalayas, early warning systems are notoriously difficult and expensive to implement. According to the Head of Climate & Environmental Risks at ICIMOD, Dr. Qianggong Zhang, many of Nepal’s 2,323 glacial lakes are small and unmonitored, posing significant risks as “hidden bombs.”

Indeed, Nepal alone experienced successive GLOFs this summer triggered by unmapped glacial lakes. One even caused US$36 billion in economic damages as it took out more than 10 hydropower projects and the bridge connecting China & Nepal. Yet, Zhang says GLOFs may triple by 2100 across the Hindu Kush Himalayas.

Unfortunately, it’s not just GLOFs taking out infrastructure. There’s permafrost thaw too, which is destabilising the ground on which homes, railways, and other infrastructure are built. Changes in precipitation are also adding to the instability. We are not ready for this yet. See why Zhang says a paradigm shift in infrastructure is needed to cope with the cascading disasters ahead.

But impacts don’t just stay in the high mountains – they trickle down, quite literally, to Central and West Asian communities who rely on farming for their livelihoods. Did you know that rising temperatures have already melted 30% of glaciers, reducing river flow and disrupting irrigation supply for over 380 million people in the region?

Enter ADB’s “Glaciers to Farms” programme, expected to cost US$3.5 billion. Here, we talk to ADB’s Yasmin Siddiqi, Director for Agriculture, Food, Nature & Rural Development who is leading the programme. She shares with us how the ambitious project envisages to support agriculture, disaster readiness & water security in the region.

It won’t be easy as nine countries are involved. See how ADB will navigate transboundary solutions using local wisdom and scientific collaboration. Indeed, collaborative action to save glaciers has started. On the back of the first-ever World Glaciers Day in March, Tajikistan held an International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation to mobilise collective action for glaciers. If you missed this, check out Siddiqi’s takeaways from Tajikistan.

Far away from glaciers, other farming communities are also suffering from shifting rainfall patterns. In India’s Jharkhand & Hazaribagh, climate variability is no longer an abstract concept but a daily struggle says Meghna Mukherjee who leads on-the-ground sustainable water management projects there.

Check out our far-ranging conversation which covers: how to work with limited resources to tackle the twin threats of droughts & floods; how traditional systems can help; and how women can lead the way in adaptation. For a dose of inspiration, read the interview in full.

In a world of escalating extremes, the challenges ahead are immense. Disaster preparedness and building resilience are critical for our collective survival. Yes, it will be scary and yes, this will involve lots of investment and a dramatic transformation of the status quo.

We have no choice but to tackle these escalating risks proactively. Doing this now will make us stronger in the long run. Like our intern Williamson says… “We must prepare, we can survive, and yes, building resilience makes money.” So, just do it already.