Climate extremities have gripped the world and its impacts on people and infrastructure are increasingly evident. Europe is grappling with record-breaking heatwaves with temperatures in Italy soaring to 45°C. Guatemala had declared a state of emergency in the wake of the damages caused by Hurricane Julia last October. The Central American country continues to face heavy rainfall and strong winds since May this year. In Asia, northern parts of India witnessed record rainfall in July this monsoon, resulting in flooding in various parts of Delhi, as river Yamuna spilled over, displacing people and disrupting livelihoods.
The latest IPCC (AR6—WGII Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability) states that 40 percent of the world’s population is vulnerable to impacts caused by climate change, while 1 billion people are at risk from coastal hazards. Target D of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 also emphasises resilience of critical infrastructure and significant reduction in disaster-related damage. Hence, a focus on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (DRI) is a promising pathway towards sustainable development. The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) speaks about ‘The Resilience Dividend’ in its report on Global Infrastructure Resilience to be launched in October.