Climate Change, Civil Society & Peace in South Asia: Documents
State of Carbon Dioxide Removal, June 2026
The third edition provides a global, independent scientific assessment of the current state and future development of carbon dioxide removal (CDR). It examines the scale of existing CDR deployment, technological and land-based approaches, investment and innovation, policy development and the role of CDR in achieving climate targets. The assessment emphasises that carbon removal must complement—not substitute for—rapid emissions reductions. It examines how different removal approaches vary in terms of maturity, costs, permanence, land requirements and potential environmental and social impacts. The report also considers the policy and governance conditions needed to scale CDR responsibly, including investment, monitoring and accounting frameworks. Overall, it highlights the widening gap between the amount of carbon removal currently being deployed and the quantities projected to be required under climate pathways consistent with limiting warming, reinforcing the need for accelerated development alongside deep decarbonisation.
Read Source →World Meteorological Organization (WMO), July 2026
The State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2025 report provides an assessment of climate trends and impacts across the South-West Pacific. It examines changes in temperature and precipitation alongside extreme events and key indicators including ocean warming, sea-level rise, marine heatwaves, ocean acidification and glacier loss. The report highlights the increasing exposure of Pacific communities, ecosystems and economies to interacting climate hazards. In 2025, the region experienced significant ocean and climate changes affecting livelihoods, infrastructure and marine ecosystems, while rising sea levels continued to threaten vulnerable coastal and low-lying communities. The assessment also emphasises the importance of climate information, early warning systems and early action for reducing disaster risks. WMO positions the report as a scientific resource for climate-smart decision-making and disaster risk reduction, particularly in a region where climate change is simultaneously affecting terrestrial, coastal and marine systems.
Read Source →World Meteorological Organization (WMO), August 2026
The August 2026 update assesses the evolving El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions and indicates that El Niño is firmly established and strengthening. WMO forecasts a near-100% probability that El Niño will persist through September–November 2026 and December 2026–February 2027, with further strengthening expected before the event peaks toward the end of 2026. The update reports negligible probabilities for ENSO-neutral conditions and no indication of a return to La Niña during the outlook period. It warns that significant climate impacts are possible across regions worldwide, although their magnitude and geographical distribution cannot be determined solely from the strength of El Niño. WMO therefore emphasises combining ENSO information with regional and local climate factors when assessing potential impacts. The update is particularly relevant for anticipating changes in rainfall and temperature patterns and strengthening preparedness for climate-sensitive sectors.
Read Source →Asian Development Bank (ADB), August 2026
The technical note examines how women-led cooperatives can contribute to climate adaptation in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Nepal, particularly within smallholder agriculture and livestock systems. It highlights locally grounded interventions such as digital learning hubs, climate-resilient infrastructure, financial services and renewable energy that improve collective access to climate information, markets and adaptation finance. The report identifies barriers that constrain rural communities from responding effectively to climate risks and presents scalable, gender-responsive approaches, including cooperative-based financing, community-embedded extension systems and risk-transfer mechanisms. It further argues that women-led cooperatives should be understood not only as economic organisations but also as governance and adaptation institutions capable of strengthening locally led resilience. Stronger institutional arrangements and layered financing are identified as important for sustaining and scaling adaptation outcomes among vulnerable rural populations.
Read Source →UNICEF Nepal, September 2026
The report series documents the humanitarian situation following the 2026 floods in Nepal and tracks UNICEF's response to the impacts on children and families. The situation reports, covering 31 August to 22 September 2026, provide successive updates on conditions in affected communities, humanitarian needs and the delivery of essential services. The reports highlight the immediate requirements associated with water, sanitation and hygiene, health, nutrition, education and protection, alongside UNICEF's efforts to support flood-affected populations. The series provides an evolving picture of the emergency and the challenges of maintaining essential services following severe flooding. It is particularly relevant to understanding the intersection between extreme weather, vulnerability and the protection of children and households in disaster-affected areas. The reports also demonstrate the importance of pre-positioned supplies, rapid humanitarian response and coordination with government authorities in addressing climate- and disaster-related emergencies.
Read Source →Asian Development Bank (ADB), September 2026
The report examines how social protection systems can be adapted to respond more effectively to climate shocks in Bangladesh. It focuses on strengthening adaptive social protection mechanisms so that vulnerable populations, particularly women and marginalised communities, can receive timely support during periods of climate-related stress. The report assesses Bangladesh's existing social protection architecture, including the Second Strengthening Social Resilience Program and the Employment Generation Program for the Poorest, and identifies opportunities to integrate climate considerations into these systems. It demonstrates how existing programmes can be adapted and scaled to strengthen household resilience while improving the ability of institutions to respond to changing weather and climate conditions. The Bangladesh experience is also presented as a potential model for other countries seeking to embed climate resilience within established social protection systems.
Read Source →United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), September 2026
The report examines the implications of a future in which global warming temporarily exceeds 1.5°C, focusing on pathways that could eventually return warming below that threshold. UNEP finds that, under current policies and several near-term trajectories, an exceedance of 1.5°C is increasingly difficult to avoid. It emphasises that the risks to people and ecosystems increase with both the magnitude and duration of temperature overshoot. The report therefore explores an “overshoot, peak and decline” pathway, combining rapid emissions reductions with measures capable of bringing global temperatures down after reaching a peak. It also stresses that mitigation alone is insufficient: adaptation and development strategies must account for changing levels of climate risk throughout the overshoot period. The report consequently highlights the importance of limiting peak warming, shortening the duration of exceedance and simultaneously reducing the vulnerability of societies, communities and economies.
Read Source →National Assembly of Pakistan, September 2026
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination reviewed the institutional capacity and enforcement performance of Pakistan's environmental authorities, including the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA). The Committee was informed that Pakistan's National Environment Report, which had last been published in 2016, was under preparation in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), with publication scheduled for December 2026. The Committee raised concerns regarding inconsistencies in environmental data and emphasised the need for stronger institutional capacity and environmental governance. It recommended establishing a regular vehicle-emission testing mechanism in Islamabad and called for the review and updating of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997, including its schedules concerning international environmental treaties. The meeting highlights the continuing gap between environmental policy frameworks and implementation capacity, while underscoring the importance of improved environmental monitoring, regulatory enforcement and evidence-based policymaking in Pakistan.
Read Source →Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), September 2026
The National State of Environment Report (NSOER) represents a renewed assessment of Pakistan's environmental conditions following a decade-long gap in national environmental reporting. Prepared by SDPI in collaboration with the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, the assessment examines the drivers and pressures affecting Pakistan's environment, the current state of natural systems, resulting impacts and the policy and institutional responses required. It applies the internationally recognised Drivers–Pressures–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) framework across areas including air quality, water resources, agriculture, disaster risk, environmental health, governance and accountability. The process incorporates evidence and stakeholder consultation involving researchers, public institutions, environmental experts, civil society and young people. The initiative is particularly significant because Pakistan's previous national environment report was published in 2016. The report is intended to strengthen the country's environmental evidence base and support more informed national policymaking and institutional responses to environmental and climate-related challenges.
Read Source →International Organization for Migration (IOM), September 2026
The assessment presents preliminary findings from the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) following severe flash floods that affected communities across several districts of Nepal on 26 August 2026. IOM conducted a Baseline Site Profile Assessment across 37 sites in Kathmandu, Dhading, Nuwakot and Rasuwa districts of Bagmati Province to support the government-led response. The assessment focuses on displacement and vulnerabilities among affected populations and provides information on conditions at sites following the floods. By documenting population movements, site-level conditions and vulnerabilities, the assessment contributes to understanding the humanitarian and displacement dimensions of extreme flooding. The findings are intended to support response planning and improve the evidence base available to government and humanitarian actors. The report is particularly relevant to climate-risk research because it links a major flood event with displacement, damage to communities and disruptions to essential services.
Read Source →Asian Development Bank (ADB), September 2026
The Environmental Monitoring Report covers the January–June 2026 implementation period of Bangladesh's Skills for Industry Competitiveness and Innovation Program (SICIP). The ADB-supported programme aims to strengthen advanced technical skills, managerial capabilities, green innovation capacity, socially inclusive skilling and institutional capacity for skills monitoring and management. The programme is particularly relevant to climate and sustainable development through its emphasis on green innovation capacity and the development of a technology-oriented workforce. The environmental monitoring report provides project-level monitoring of environmental safeguards and implementation under the programme. As a results-based programme operating nationwide, SICIP links skills development with Bangladesh's broader objectives of industrial competitiveness, innovation and inclusive economic transformation. Its environmental monitoring component provides a mechanism for tracking environmental considerations within programme implementation and ensuring that supported activities remain consistent with applicable safeguard requirements.
Read Source →PM India News, 2026
"The Union Cabinet approved India's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for the period 2031–2035. This updated submission to the UNFCCC underscores India's long-term commitment to decoupling economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions. Grounded firmly in the philosophy of LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) introduced by the Prime Minister, the revised roadmap focuses heavily on accelerating renewable energy deployment, expanding robust carbon sinks via targeted afforestation, and transforming industrial sectors toward low-carbon pathways. The targets stand as a critical milestone toward building a sustainable and self-reliant 'Viksit Bharat' for future generations."
Read Source →Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy, 07 Apr 2026
"President Appoints Ali Shareef as Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy. Following his appointment, the Climate Change Department has driven crucial localized policy initiatives, including recent Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) stakeholder validation workshops held in Fuvahmulah City and Kulhudhuffushi City. These technical assessments form the baseline of the Maldives' National Adaptation Plan (NAP) formulation project, optimizing coastal defense mechanisms, groundwater safety parameters, and island-wide ecosystem resilience against the accelerating impacts of sea-level rise and severe tropical weather anomalies."
Read Source →Dr Bardan Jung Rana and Ms Kristine Blokhus, World Health Organization, 26 Apr 2026
"Climate change is no longer just an environmental crisis; it is a health emergency unfolding across Bangladesh. In coastal regions like Satkhira, rising groundwater salinity forces pregnant women to consume sodium-heavy water, directly driving dangerous spikes in gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia. Simultaneously, severe heatwaves over 40°C and erratic rainfall profiles have transformed dengue from a seasonal challenge into a brutal, year-round crisis. To counter this, the government has introduced the Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP) 2026. Developed with WHO and UNFPA support, the HNAP outlines a shift from reactive crisis management to building a proactive, climate-resilient healthcare system. Achieving this requires greening our medical infrastructure, integrating climate metrics into early-disease tracking, and securing major international climate-health financing."
Read Source →International Centre for Climate Change and Development, April 2026
"Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) cannot succeed in a social vacuum; climate governance must explicitly address historical inequities and elite capture. In coastal communities like Munshiganj Union, freshwater canals (khals) vital for multi-season agriculture have frequently been illegally encroached upon or commercially leased out to powerful individuals, cutting off marginalized farmers and inducing artificial water scarcities. The G4CR project proved that structural interventions, like re-excavating the Goi Canal, only achieve true adaptive resilience when paired with social justice. By establishing localized Canal Management Committees (CMCs), restoring public access rights, and centering women and youth in governance, crop yields dramatically rebounded to 16–20 mounds per bigha. Moving forward, the state must legally classify public canals as critical climate infrastructure rather than revenue-generating waterbodies."
Read Source →Climate Vulnerable Forum, April 2026
"The Bhutan Climate Prosperity Plan (CPP) articulates a comprehensive economic and environmental blueprint designed to transition the country beyond traditional carbon-neutral boundaries toward active climate prosperity. Facing severe risks from glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and shifting mountain hydrology, the plan details targeted investment portfolios in renewable energy infrastructure, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable forest economies. By mobilizing innovative global financial mechanisms and green bonds, Bhutan aims to shield its fragile montane ecosystems while driving robust, equitable, and highly resilient economic growth under the V20/CVF cooperative frameworks."
Read Source →Shisir Khanal, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nepal, 2026
"The high Himalayas are fundamentally linked to the marine environment; what happens at the 'Third Pole' directly determines the survival of coastal and island nations. As global warming triggers unprecedented glacial melt in landlocked mountain states like Nepal, the resulting water volume cascades downstream, driving sea-level rise and destabilizing the broader Indian Ocean ecosystem. In front of this shared vulnerability, Nepal calls for global ocean governance architectures to formally integrate and recognize this mountain-ocean connection. Furthermore, landlocked nations must see their transit freedoms and maritime economic rights fully protected under UNCLOS. Invoking the ancient philosophy of Samundra Manthan—the churning of the ocean—we urge global powers to move past narrow self-interests and exercise collective stewardship over our fragile planet."
Read Source →Dr. N.S. Kumanayake, Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka, May 2026
"In the wake of the severe damages caused by Cyclone Ditwah, Sri Lanka's environmental strategies must prioritize long-term ecological restoration alongside immediate disaster response. For World Environment Day 2026, themed locally as 'Let us take action to mitigate the impacts of climate change,' all state ministries and provincial bodies are directed to focus on reconstructing the highly vulnerable upper water catchment areas within the Central Highlands. Furthermore, the state officially declares May 30 to June 5 as National Environment Week, setting mandatory daily themes including Air Pollution Prevention, Biodiversity Conservation, and Coastal Cleanups. Every government institution is strictly instructed to downscale its carbon footprint, implement green procurement protocols, enforce paperless digital systems, and actively engage regional youth in local conservation networks."
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