Asia-Pacific Climate Report 2026 - Coastal Risks on the Rise

This report examines the risks facing the coastal areas of Asia and the Pacific and details how building resilience can protect development and unlock new opportunities.

Coastal areas are among the most economically productive parts of Asia and the Pacific. They support food production, trade and logistics, major cities, tourism, and livelihoods. Yet the same concentration of people and economic activity that makes up the coastal dividend is also exposed to growing risks. When coastal systems are disrupted, the impacts can not only hit locally, but also spread through supply chains, infrastructure networks, food systems, and the wider economy.

This report contains the first assessment that examines coastal risks consistently across all 30 of ADB's coastal developing member countries. It draws on satellite records, flood modelling, household surveys, young people's perspectives, and a set of background papers by leading experts.

It highlights that investing in coastal resilience can deliver high returns, and acting early does more than prevent losses-it secures trade and transport, stabilizes food and water supplies, protects development gains, preserves future adaptation options, and opens new opportunities for cooperation across shared seas.

The report proposes actions to support adaptive planning. This links near-term steps with long-term development objectives and allows decisions to evolve with changes in coastal risks, technologies, financing opportunities, and societal priorities. Governments that plan adaptively, finance early, and build institutions and partnerships that endure can turn rising risk into lasting resilience.