Published
·
Updated
Wildfires are a significant contributor to climate disaster damages globally. Image:REUTERS/Victor Medina
Tom Crowfoot
Writer,
Forum Stories
- This weekly round-up contains the key nature and climate news from the past week.
- Top nature and climate news: Insured loses from extreme weather to reach $145 billion in 2025; India and Pakistan face extreme heat; Climate crisis causes Arctic ecosystem upheaval.
1. Extreme weather could cause $145 billion in insured losses in 2025
If the current trends continue, the world could face $145 billion in insured losses in 2025, according to Swiss Re.
This would be a 6% raise on the 2024 figures, Reuters reports.
'Primary perils' like hurricanes and earthquakes pose the biggest risks, potentially driving insured losses to $300 billion or more in a peak year, says the reinsurer.
The most recent peak year was 2017, driven by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
The effects of the climate crisis "are playing a role in compounding losses for some weather perils and regions", according to Swiss Re.
“
Close collaboration between the public and private sectors is vital for effective protection measures to reduce losses.
—Jérôme Haegeli, Swiss Re's Group Chief Economist
”
— Jérôme Haegeli, Swiss Re's Group Chief Economist
2. India and Pakistan face extreme heat earlier than usual
From 14 to 15 April, parts of Pakistan, particularly Balochistan, saw temperatures soar to up to 49°C, according to a report from ClimaMeter.
In New Delhi, India, temperatures surpassed 40°C during the same time period, up to 5° higher than the seasonal average.
This heatwave hit earlier than typically anticipated for this time of year, and left many residents without power.
The report cited risks to human health, agriculture and food security, power supply and education.
The scientists concluded that the India-Pakistan heatwave was "an event driven by very exceptional meteorological conditions whose characteristics can mostly be ascribed to human-driven climate change".
3. News in brief: Other top nature and climate stories this week
Climate change is causing ecosystem upheaval, a study into Arctic plants published in Nature has revealed. Shifts in temperatures and growing seasons of different shrubs, grasses and flowering plants show how the climate crisis is impacting this remote region.
How much carbon do the world's one and a half trillion trees store? The European Space Agency has successfully launched a first-of-a-kind satellite which uses a special radar system to find out.
Loading...
Research across the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to stall as a result of planned job cuts, scientists working at the organization have told Reuters. A tool developed by EPA scientists to study the health effects of hazardous smoke has effectively been grounded, it said.
Extreme weather is impacting music festivals around the world, with a report from Green Music Australia highlighting the danger it poses to Australian festivals. In a survey of over 1,100 festival goers in the country, 85% reported experiencing what they considered to be extreme weather at a music festival in the past 12 months.
One of the world's most endangered amphibians, the axolotl, has thrived after being released in artificial wetlands, research published in PLoS One has revealed. As this creature was pushed near extinction previously, lead researcher Dr Alejandra Ramos from the Autonomous University of Baja California said this was an "amazing result", as reported by the BBC.
High winds in New Zealand's capital, Wellington, have disrupted flights and closed down schools, Reuters reports. Average wind speeds reached up to 87 kilometres an hour, the strongest since 2013.
Discover
How is the World Economic Forum fighting the climate crisis?
4. More on the nature and climate crisis from the Forum
At the centre of Indonesia's labour market strategy is the fostering of green jobs and training its workers with the right skillsets for these jobs. Yet despite the popular belief that vocational schools in Indonesia prepare students better for employment, these graduates face the highest unemployment rates. The Indonesian government has several strategies to revitalize vocational training, focusing on improving training and educators and fostering partnerships. Explore them here, in this article from Rachmat Pambudy, Indonesia's Minister of National Development Planning.
A historic deal has been signed to cut global shipping emissions. Learn more in this video below:
These eight start-ups have come up with innovative solutions to recover metals and minerals, in this video below:
Related topics:
Climate ActionNature and Biodiversity
Share:
Contents
1. Extreme weather could cause $145 billion in insured losses in 20252. India and Pakistan face extreme heat earlier than usual3. News in brief: Other top nature and climate stories this week4. More on the nature and climate crisis from the Forum
More on
Climate Action
See all
More on
Climate Action
The resilience imperative: Why companies must adapt to a +1.5 degrees world
Deliang Chen and Gill Einhorn
June 24, 2025
These new energy solutions do more than generate power
How Asia can be an example in the fight against plastic pollution
Japanese scientists have invented a plastic that dissolves in seawater
Durability, not permanence: Why we must act on natural climate solutions now
Why now is not the time to stint on climate tech investment
