What is Climate Resilience?
Climate resilience refers to the capacity of societies, economies, and ecosystems to withstand and
recover from major disasters or dangerous changes caused by climate change.
In this article, we’ll explore what exactly “climate resilience” means, how the world is preparing for it,
and what small actions we can take in our everyday lives.
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Why Climate Resilience?
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We currently stand in the middle of a global battlefield called the “climate crisis.”
The Earth is getting hotter, rains are heavier, and soils are drying out.
Yet strangely, in the face of the same circumstances, some societies collapse, while others endure and even emerge stronger.
The difference lies in climate resilience, defined as:
“The capacity of systems to respond or reorganize in the face of climate-related hazards or trends,
while maintaining their essential function, identity, and structure.”
—Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
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Climate Disasters: Now Part of Everyday Life
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In 2024 alone, the world experienced more than 150 extreme climate disasters:
record-breaking temperatures, millions displaced, historic floods, and severe droughts.
• Economic loss: By 2050, natural disasters linked to climate change are projected to cause $12.5 trillion in economic losses (World Economic Forum).
• Loss of healthy years: The world has already lost over 2 billion “healthy life years” due to climate change (World Economic Forum).
• Structural crisis: Climate change is no longer a one-off event but a global structural crisis (World Meteorological Organization).
To learn more about climate-displaced people, see : ⇊ |
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A Glass Floor vs. a Trampoline Society
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Imagine someone falling from a high place.
If the ground below is a glass floor, it will shatter, and the person will not survive. But if it’s a trampoline?
The impact could be painful, but the person would bounce back.
Societies work the same way. When disasters strike, fragile societies shatter like glass,
but resilient ones absorb the shock and rebound.
That’s climate resilience in action: societies that rise again after collapse, and learn to avoid repeating mistakes.
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Cities with Climate Resilience
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● A Flood-Proof Nation — The Netherlands
One-third of the Netherlands lies below sea level. Instead of fighting the sea,
they have found ways to live with it.
• Floating Houses: Rotterdam has homes that rise and fall with the water level.
• Room for the River: Rivers are given space to overflow safely.
• Maeslant Barrier: The world’s largest storm surge barrier automatically closes to protect cities.
Rather than resisting floods, the residents have adapted.
This mindset shift is where resilience truly begins.
● A Fire-Proof Area — California, USA
California faces over 8,000 wildfires annually.
In 2023, wildfires burned 4 million acres, an area 66 times the size of Seoul.
• Fire-Proof Homes: More fire-resistant houses are being built.
• Green Fire Belts: Fire-resistant vegetation acts as a natural firebreak.
• AI + Drones: Smart systems detect fires early and sound alarms.
Different disasters, different strategies, but both examples show survival through resilience.
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The Climate Gap:
Who Bears More Responsibility,
Who Suffers More?
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Who Bears More Responsibility, Who Suffers More?
The climate crisis affects everyone around the globe.
But in reality, the greatest damage falls on those countries least responsible for causing it.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the total damage caused by climate-related disasters in 2024 exceeded $350 billion, and 70% of those losses occurred in developing countries (UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2024).
While the responsibility for carbon emissions lies largely with industrialized nations in the Global North, the brunt of the impact is felt most severely by climate-vulnerable countries in the Global South.
Source: IMF Policy Paper Small States' Resilience to Natural Disasters and
Climate Change—Role for the IMF (Deс. 2016).
● Economic shocks in small states
▶ Average annual GDP loss
• Small states lose about 2% of GDP annually due to natural disasters.
• This is four times greater than the loss suffered by large countries.
▶ Impact of major disasters
• In worst-case scenarios, losses can reach 15–30% of GDP.
• Such levels of damage are rarely seen in large economies.
● Regional disparities
▶ Middle East
• In small states, 16% of the population is affected by natural disasters.
• In neighboring larger countries, the figure is only about 1%.
▶ Latin America & the Caribbean
Losses as a share of GDP:
• Small states: 16%
• Large states: 2.5%
● Disaster-type disparities
• Droughts: Citizens of small states are three times more affected.
• Storms: Storm damage leaves small states suffering 23 times
greater GDP losses compared to large nations.
● Repeated disasters create structural weaknesses
As natural disasters recur, the economic foundation in small states weakens, leading to:
• Declining investment
• Falling GDP per capita
• Rising poverty
• Fiscal instability
Natural disasters strike everyone, but the smaller the country, the harder the recovery.
With greater damages and fewer resources to respond, these vulnerable nations need
international cooperation and financial support.
To learn more, see: ⇊ What are Countries Vulnerable to |
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Resilience Upgrades Worldwide
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Now that climate disasters are the “new normal,”
nations are rethinking urban planning, agriculture, and finance.
● Cities
New York, Seoul, Barcelona, and London integrate resilience into city plans.
• Seoul, Amsterdam, Barcelona : EU’s “100 Climate-Resilient Cities” initiative
• New York, London, Tokyo : Carbon-neutral + resilient city targets by 2025
• The core lies in infrastructure changes such as rainwater harvesting systems,
smart disaster alerts, and the expansion of green spaces.
● Agriculture
Climate change also affects crops. That’s why agriculture needs its own survival strategies.
• Climate-Smart Agriculture: now covers 30% of global farmland (UN Food and Agriculture Organization).
• Salt-tolerant crops, water-saving farming, and soil conservation are expanding.
● Finance
Because climate disasters come with high recovery costs, the flow of money is also changing.
• United States and the European Union: High-carbon companies now required to contribute to resilience funds.
• UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and insurers: Expanding climate insurance for fast recovery financing.
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International Action: Investing in Resilience
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In 2024, global investments in climate resilience surpassed $250 billion,
a 12% jump from the previous year (World Bank).
• World Bank: $100 billion fund for developing countries by 2030.
• UN Development Programme (UNDP): Supports adaptation technology in 10 African and Southeast Asian nations.
• European Union: Strengthened its “Climate Adaptation Strategy” with legal measures.
• International Monetary Fund: Created a $50 billion Climate Risk Mitigation Fund for developing nations.
●Flagship UNDP Projects:
1. Climate Promise 2025
Helping 125+ countries meet their climate pledges.
2. Resilience Hub for Africa
2024 investments topped $10M, creating jobs and empowering women while enhancing adaptation.
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What We Can Do: 10 Actions for Everyday Resilience
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When small actions come together, they become society’s trampoline.
● 10 actions for everyday resilience
1. Join local disaster preparedness drills.
2. Support efforts to improve heat/flood resilience in your community.
3. Save and reuse rainwater.
4. Prepare emergency kits and family contact plans.
5. Join green space or disaster prevention projects.
6. Choose resilient design when building/remodeling homes.
7. Plant trees and protect forests.
8. Support resilience-focused policies.
9. Bike, use public transport, and reduce energy use.
10. Support local food and sustainable agriculture.
Want more tips? See: ⇊ |
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Building a Trampoline Society
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Climate change is ongoing: sea levels are rising, heat waves are longer and harsher.
Which society do you want to live in?
- One that shatters like glass when it is hit?
- Or one that bounces back like a trampoline?
The strategy we need today is not simply to “fight climate change,” but to “live and thrive within it.”
Policies, technologies, and our daily actions together form resilience.
“Resilience is not a choice.
It is survival.”
— Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator
Written by Sharon Choi
Director of Planning
Sunhak Peace Prize Secretariat
Related Reads: : Stories of people forced to leave their homes because of climate disasters. : A look at the nations most exposed— and least equipped—to handle climate shocks. : Exploring the deep inequalities between wealthy northern countries and poorer southern ones. : Practical things we can all do right now to fight the climate crisis. |
References and Sources: • Global Risks Report 2024 (2024) World Economic Forum (WEF). • State of the Global Climate 2023 (2024) World Meteorological Organization (WMO). • Emissions Gap Report 2024 (2024) United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). • Climate-Smart Agriculture Sourcebook (2023) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
• Climate Promise 2025 (2024) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). • UNDP Resilience Hub for Africa Annual Report (2024) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). • Financing Climate Resilience: Policy Brief (2024) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (View policy brief) • World Bank Climate Resilience Investment Overview (2024) World Bank Group. (View official report) • Climate Finance and Risk Mitigation Strategy (2024) International Monetary Fund (IMF). (View strategy) • Climate Resilience in Cities (2024) European Union / EU Adaptation Strategy. |