Disaster risk reduction

Afghanistan’s recurring natural disasters – from earthquakes to extreme winters – highlight the country’s vulnerability, amplified by political isolation, economic hardship, and restrictive governance.

As India battles the latest Nipah virus cluster, health officials emphasise that vigilance, rapid response, and public cooperation will be critical to preventing a larger outbreak.

The EPA, which enforces federal environmental laws, said it would stop estimating the economic value of health benefits from reducing ozone and fine particulate matter, even though it acknowledges that they contribute to pulmonary disease, heart attacks, and premature deaths. 

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed that 2025 ranked as one of the three warmest years on record, underscoring the relentless grip of human-driven climate change even amid natural cooling influences.

The holding centres often lack necessities like water and sanitation, and the people held there are lucky if they even receive two meals a day, as food stocks are often too low to supply enough meals. The need for blankets and winter kits is increasing.

A groundbreaking new report by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) reveals that the region requires approximately USD 12.065 trillion from 2020 to 2050 to adequately fund climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.

One of the starkest examples is Imja Lake in Nepal’s Everest region. Until the 1960s, it was only a relatively small pool of meltwater high in the mountains.

Bangladesh ranks among the world’s most climate‑vulnerable countries while contributing less than one per cent of global GHG emissions, facing recurring climate induced disasters that damage agriculture, infrastructure and livelihoods, with annual climate finance needs estimated at over USD 26 billion, especially for adaptation and loss and damage.