The UNEP State of Finance for Nature 2026 report highlights a severe global imbalance in environmental finance, revealing that more than $30 is spent on activities that harm nature for every $1 invested in protecting it. Nature-negative financial flows reached around $7.3 trillion annually, while funding for nature-based solutions (NbS) stood at only $220 billion. Harmful subsidies for fossil fuels, industrial agriculture, and resource-intensive sectors continue to dominate global spending patterns. Although investment in NbS has shown modest growth and some decline in fossil fuel financing is visible, progress remains far too slow. UNEP warns that NbS funding must rise to at least $571 billion per year by 2030 to meet global climate, biodiversity, and land restoration targets. Without redirecting financial systems toward nature-positive investments, the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution will intensify.
Click to View MoreThe 2025 Munich Re report warns that lower disaster losses reflect chance, not reduced risk. Climate extremes are intensifying, protection gaps persist, and frequent smaller disasters dominate. Urgent focus is needed on risk reduction, insurance coverage, resilient infrastructure, and global climate cooperation.
Click to View MoreNature-based Solutions involve using ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, mangroves, grasslands, rivers, and urban green spaces to address climate change, biodiversity loss, disasters, and livelihood challenges. They are increasingly recognised as central to India’s climate and development strategy because they provide carbon storage, flood control, water security, food security, and job creation while being cost-effective. However, challenges such as inadequate finance, policy gaps, land conflicts, weak monitoring, and risks of greenwashing remain. Global initiatives such as ENACT aim to accelerate and scale up Nature-based Solutions worldwide, helping countries integrate them into climate policies, mobilise funds, and promote community participation for a resilient and sustainable future.
Click to View MoreThe Union Government launched a ₹507 crore project to strengthen community-based disaster risk reduction by empowering PRIs in 81 vulnerable districts. It institutionalises bottom-up planning through GPDP integration. Success depends on fixing PRI gaps in funds, functions, and functionaries while aligning with national law and the Sendai Framework.
Click to View MoreThe Srikakulam stampede exposes recurring institutional lapses in crowd management. Poor infrastructure, untrained personnel, and ignored NDMA protocols make such tragedies man-made. India needs proactive governance with AI-based crowd monitoring, specialized training, independent safety audits, and strict accountability to ensure safety at all mass gatherings.
Click to View MoreThe Himalayas are highly vulnerable to disasters like landslides, floods, glacial lake outbursts, and earthquakes, intensified by climate change. Early Warning Systems (EWS) are crucial to predict hazards, save lives, and reduce economic losses. Current systems in India are limited, facing challenges of rugged terrain, high costs, and poor local capacity. Strengthening EWS requires multi-hazard monitoring, AI and satellite technology, community involvement, policy support, and cross-border coordination to enhance resilience and sustainable development in the region.
Click to View MoreThe Darjeeling disaster, caused by extreme rainfall, revealed the Eastern Himalayas’ vulnerability. Landslides and floods severed key routes, isolating Sikkim. Unsustainable development, weak governance, and poor disaster preparedness demand urgent mountain regulation and advanced early warning systems for future resilience.
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