The world is losing up to $800bn (£615bn) worth of physical infrastructure every year to natural disasters, according to the head of a global coalition on climate resilience.
Amit Prothi, Director General of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), warned that climate change is escalating both the frequency and intensity of disasters, leaving vital networks heavily exposed. Speaking to journalists in New Delhi, Mr. Prothi said the $700bn to $800bn figure represents direct physical damage alone, with the broader economic toll estimated to be roughly seven times higher.”You may not have experienced floods before, but patterns are changing,” Mr. Prothi said, citing recent examples of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, alongside severe flooding, earthquakes, and cyclones worldwide. “The question is how you prepare your infrastructure for those future risks.”The CDRI was launched by India at the United Nations in 2019 and has grown to include 70 member nations alongside major global financial institutions like the World Bank. The organization does not finance construction directly, but instead works with governments to adapt building codes and redesign critical networks—such as power grids, transport links, and telecommunications—to withstand future climate shocks. Disruptions to communications systems during emergencies are a major area of concern. Recalling his experience during Nepal’s 2015 earthquake, Mr. Prothi highlighted how quickly infrastructure failure can cut off communities.”I was in Kathmandu during the earthquake and could send a brief message to my family. Others couldn’t contact their loved ones because telecommunications infrastructure had broken down,” he said. “Communication is becoming increasingly critical during disasters.”The CDRI’s risk modeling highlights sharp regional vulnerabilities, estimating that Brazil and the entire African continent each face around $13bn in annual infrastructure losses.
In response, the coalition plans to focus upcoming resilience initiatives on high-risk regions, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS), mountain areas, rapidly growing cities, and Africa. Mr. Prothi added that future efforts will increasingly rely on artificial intelligence, satellite imagery, and predictive modeling to improve early warning capabilities
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