Climate-driven disasters are no longer rare events – they are the new normal. Over the past two decades, more than 80 percent of recorded disasters have been linked to climate and weather extremes, with water-related hazards causing nearly half of all disaster-related deaths. Events are also increasing in frequency. Fewer than 50 disasters were recorded in 1950, whereas today the world faces between 300 and 500 climate-related disasters annually. Sea-level rise, urbanization and heat-island effects compound risks, while vulnerable populations in informal settlements, low-income rural areas and displaced communities bear the harshest impacts.
Disasters are increasingly straining traditional response systems, with global economic losses exceeding USD 2.3 trillion annually when accounting for indirect social and environmental costs. Yet financing for disaster risk reduction remains limited. Less than 0.5 percent of development spending, and only a small fraction of humanitarian aid, go toward prevention and preparedness. Global and regional mechanisms, including catastrophe bonds, pooled funds and forecast-based finance, are emerging to enable rapid, anticipatory response. Nonetheless, coverage remains uneven, particularly in least developed countries, small island states and marginalized communities.
Technology plays a central role in bridging these gaps. Satellites, AI, IoT, drones and cloud-based analytics improve hazard monitoring, early warning and impact assessment, while mobile networks and applications enhance real-time communication with affected populations. Patent activity in disaster response is growing rapidly, particularly in UAVs (drones), AI-enabled monitoring, and multi-functional platforms, reflecting a shift toward faster, more integrated and data-driven solutions. The Sendai Framework underscores the importance of such technologies across prevention, preparedness and response, emphasizing equitable access, capacity building and inclusive design to ensure that technological advances translate into actual resilience.
Stronger storms and rising floods met by next-generation solutions
Tropical cyclones, known as hurricanes or typhoons, are intensifying because of climate change, driven by warmer ocean temperatures and increased atmospheric moisture. While the frequency of storms may be decreasing, their severity is rising, with major hurricanes becoming more destructive. For instance, Hurricane Helene (2024) caused 246 deaths in the United States, while Cyclone Freddy (2023) devastated Mozambique and Malawi. Climate change is also slowing storm movement, prolonging rainfall and flooding. Over the past 50 years, tropical cyclones have accounted for 38 percent of disaster-related deaths and economic losses globally, with long-term recovery often spanning decades.
Flooding, a major consequence of storms, is exacerbated by glacier melt, urbanization and poor infrastructure. Over 1.8 billion people face significant flood risk, 90 percent of whom live in low- and middle-income countries. Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) threaten 10 million people, a risk projected to triple in High Mountain Asia by 2100. Floods damage infrastructure, contaminate water supplies and disrupt economies, with urban slums particularly vulnerable.
Improved weather forecasting, powered by satellites (e.g., NASA’s CYGNSS, ESA’s Sentinel), AI and drones, has reduced hurricane tracking errors from 400 nautical miles in the 1970s to under 80 miles today. But, while early warning systems (EWS) save lives, half of countries lack adequate coverage. The United Nations' Early Warnings for All initiative aims to bridge this gap by 2027. AI enhances EWS by predicting cascading risks (e.g., floods post-storm), but faces challenges such as data bias and false alarms.
As storms and floods become more severe, integrating advanced forecasting, resilient infrastructure and inclusive early warning is critical. Innovations like AI, IoT and nature-based solutions offer scalable protection, but equitable access remains a challenge, particularly in vulnerable regions. Collaborative efforts are essential in building global resilience against escalating climate threats.
Landslides countered by innovation
Landslides are triggered by heavy rainfall, earthquakes or human activities such as deforestation. They pose severe risks and cause fatalities, infrastructure damage and long-term economic disruption. Climate change is exacerbating the frequency of landslides, particularly in mountainous and tropical regions. While they are unpredictable, advanced monitoring technologies are improving early detection and response. Ground and subsurface sensors (tiltmeters, piezometers and seismic sensors) track slope stability in real time. Satellite and remote sensing technologies SAR/InSAR (millimeter-precision deformation tracking), LiDAR, and NASA’s LHASA model provide large-scale hazard mapping. AI and big data integrate multisource data (drones, IoT, historical records) for dynamic risk assessment. Drones can be deployed for high-resolution post-disaster surveying (e.g., Swiss tunnel collapse assessment) and fissure mapping (e.g., Tbilisi innovation). Debris management technologies range from barriers to slurry pumps and hydraulic excavators used for efficient cleanup. Stabilizing innovations involve bioengineering using biogrout and engineering solutions including soil nailing, rock bolting and geotextiles.
Technology enables resilience to intensifying droughts
Droughts, intensified by climate change, are escalating into systemic crises, threatening food security, water access and energy production. Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall deplete groundwater, with 40 percent of humanity already facing water scarcity. Agriculture – consuming 70 percent of global freshwater – suffers yield losses, while droughts disrupt hydropower and amplify health risks like cholera (
Yet barriers persist, especially for small-scale farmers and vulnerable regions. Initiatives like the United Nations' CTCN, delivering drought forecasts via WhatsApp in Saint Kitts, prove that scalable models do exist. Bridging gaps requires policy coordination and investment, so as to deploy these tools equitably. Without action, droughts may cost 5 percent of global GDP by 2050 – but with strategic technology adoption, societies can build resilience against aridification’s growing threats.
Wildfires worsen, while advanced technologies prevent, predict and protect
Wildfires have evolved from seasonal events into year-round crises, fueled by rising temperatures, prolonged droughts and shifting wind patterns. They now threaten ecosystems, communities and economies globally, with record-breaking burns – like Canada’s 2023 fires, which accounted for 27 percent of global tree cover loss – becoming the norm. The wildland–urban interface (WUI) is particularly vulnerable, where urban sprawl intersects with flammable vegetation, turning wildfires into urban disasters as embers ignite homes far from the fire front. Compounding the challenge, power lines and grid failures increasingly spark fires, as seen in California, where electrical infrastructure has caused 19 percent of burned acreage in recent years.
Technology is revolutionizing wildfire management, from early detection to suppression and recovery. Satellite networks (e.g., NASA’s FIRMS, ESA’s Sentinel) paired with AI analyze real-time data to detect fires within minutes, while drones and thermal cameras map hotspots through smoke and darkness. Innovations like mini-satellites and 360-degree cameras enable rapid response, while advanced modeling tools (e.g., FARSITE, digital twins) predict fire behavior with unprecedented precision. Aerial firefighting has also advanced, with drones conducting nighttime operations and retardant-spreading robots reducing risks to human crews. On the ground, fire-resistant materials (e.g., hempcrete, intumescent coatings) protect homes, while prescribed burns and mechanical thinning mitigate future risks.
Yet challenges persist. Traditional fire models struggle with climate-driven extremes, and retardants often harm ecosystems. Emerging solutions like biodegradable fire suppressants and AI-driven peatland fire prediction in Indonesia highlight the need for sustainable innovation. Grassroots tools, such as the Watch Duty app, which outpaced government alerts during California’s 2025 fires, underscore the power of community-driven technology. As wildfires grow more unpredictable, integrating global satellite networks, adaptive AI models and equitable policy frameworks will be critical to safeguarding lives, ecosystems and economies in the future.
The paradox of extreme cold in a warming world
While global temperatures rise, extreme cold events remain deadly threats, exacerbated by climate-driven disruptions to atmospheric systems like the polar vortex. When weakened, this vortex allows Arctic air to spill into mid-latitudes, triggering severe cold snaps in regions like North America. Though less frequent, these events are becoming more erratic and dangerous, compounded by aging infrastructure and inadequate preparedness. Cold-related deaths linked to cardiovascular stress, hypothermia and respiratory illnesses far outpace heat-related fatalities, accounting for between four and nine times the number of annual deaths globally. Vulnerable populations, including the homeless, elderly and energy-insecure households, face heightened risks, especially during an energy affordability crisis like Europe’s 2022 inflationary price surge.
Key cold resilience technologies target energy grid hardening via winterized power plants, insulated pipelines and smart grids with predictive analytics to prevent outages like Texas’s 2021 crisis. Building innovation focuses on high R-value insulation (e.g., double-stud walls, quadruple-glazed windows), heated roofs and 3D-printed shelters like Icon’s USD 4,000 homes. Community solutions include GPS-guided snowplows, ultra-low-temperature district heating, and portable fuel heaters for emergencies (–45°Celsius capability). Avalanche management involves remotely triggered systems and AI-powered snowpack monitoring mitigates risks in mountainous regions.
The escalating extreme heat crisis
Heatwaves are “silent killers,” responsible for over 35,000 deaths in Europe (2003) and record-breaking events in 2024–2025. Urban heat islands amplify dangers, with cities like Phoenix, Arizona, hitting temperatures 10°C above surrounding areas. Between late May and June 2024, a severe heatwave in southern Pakistan caused over 568 deaths as temperatures soared between 45 and 49°C in many areas. Heat stress also endangers workers, with the 4,200 global heat-related workplace deaths in 2020 disproportionately affecting low-income countries. For urban cooling, there are reflective “cool roofs,” misting systems (affording up to 10°C reduction) and sponge cities like Vienna’s Praterstern, which combines green space with smart fog cooling. Worker protection technologies have been evolving quicky, with wearables such as hydration sensors and military-grade core temperature algorithms adapted for construction and agriculture. In terms of early warning, AI-driven platforms (e.g., HEAT-SHIELD in Europe) combine weather forecasts with health data to trigger alerts and cooling center activation. Lower tech solutions can be surprisingly effective, for example, Ahmedabad’s Cool Roofs” Program and Seville’s Cartuja Qanat reviving ancient water tunnel cooling techniques.
Disaster response logistics are being reshaped by a diverse set of technologies
Disasters displace millions annually and strain traditional response systems. In 2024 alone, 45 million people were displaced by disasters, with storms and floods accounting for over half of these displacements. The scale of such crises demands innovative solutions to deliver aid faster, coordinate effectively and empower affected communities. From AI-driven forecasting to blockchain-enabled supply chains, emerging technologies are transforming disaster logistics, making responses more efficient, transparent and resilient.
When a disaster strikes, the immediate priority is to establish operational capacity within the crisis zone. 3D-printed shelters provide durable, scalable housing solutions. Mobile medical units – often repurposed shipping containers – provide emergency health care, while inflatable shelters deploy within minutes for triage or command centers. Energy independence is critical: nanogrids deliver renewable power within 15 minutes, supporting pop-up hospitals and communication hubs. For last-mile aid delivery in inaccessible terrain, amphibious vehicles like WFP’s SHERP navigate flooded roads, reducing transport costs by 75 percent compared to airlifts.
Effective disaster response hinges on communication. While 5.5 billion people are online, gaps persist – 2.6 billion lack internet access, often in disaster-prone regions. Solutions such as mesh networks (used after Typhoon Haiyan) and satellite systems restore connectivity when traditional infrastructure fails. AI-powered platforms like SKAI (developed by the WFP and Google) analyze satellite imagery to map damage in real time, while chatbots and common feedback mechanisms (CFMs) enable two-way communication between responders and survivors. In Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, INSTANT, a forecast portal, delivers early warnings to Rohingya refugees via SMS, triggering preemptive evacuations.
Economic losses from disasters disproportionately impact low-income countries, with drought costing some nations 2 percent of GDP annually. Innovations in finance are bridging gaps:
Digital cash transfers: mobile money platforms such as bKash in Bangladesh enable instant aid disbursement. Ahead of Cyclone Remal, the WFP sent USD 43 via mobile wallets to 30,000 families, allowing them to prepare in advance.
Parametric insurance: programs like the African Risk Capacity (ARC) use satellite data to trigger automatic payouts. In 2024, Zimbabwe received USD 16.8 million within days of a drought declaration.
Blockchain and biometrics: Igloo’s blockchain-based weather insurance pays coffee farmers in Viet Nam automatically when rainfall thresholds are breached. Biometric vending machines (e.g., GrainATM in India) prevent fraud in aid distribution.
Technologies like blockchain and IoT sensors improve transparency within the humanitarian supply chain, while drones (e.g., Zipline in Rwanda) deliver medical supplies to remote areas within minutes. AI optimizes inventory management, predicting demand spikes and pre-positioning supplies. During Hurricane Harvey, big data analytics helped reroute shipments around flooded highways.
Despite progress, barriers remain with regard to equity, scalability and interoperability. Biometric ID systems, while reducing fraud, raise privacy concerns and can exclude those without documentation. 3D printing and drone delivery are limited by cost and infrastructure gaps in low-resource settings. Siloed data systems hinder coordination; open-source platforms are critical for standardization. Technology is revolutionizing disaster logistics by accelerating responses, cutting costs and saving lives. Yet, its full potential depends on inclusive design, local capacity building and global collaboration.