Advancing Resilience Across Food and Energy Systems in Asia and the Pacific

Resilience must be approached at a system-wide level, as food, energy, and disaster risk are interlinked in the face of climate change. The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is supporting Bhutan, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Mongolia in shifting from reactive responses to integrated, risk-informed planning through digital tools, technical assistance, and institutional capacity building.

Asia and the Pacific are facing escalating climate extremes, pushing food and energy systems to their limits. Floods destroy crops and infrastructure, while droughts reduce agricultural productivity, hydropower output, and electricity supply. Heatwaves impact livestock, increase energy demand for cooling, and put pressure on public health systems. Resilience must be approached at a system-wide level, as food, energy, and disaster risk are interlinked in the face of climate change. 

The climate-energy-food nexus provides a means to navigate this complexity by shifting from reactive responses to integrated risk management and collective investment. Through digital tools, technical assistance, and capacity building activities, countries are beginning to institutionalize risk-informed planning and strengthen resilience strategies. Early warning systems and loss and damage analytics are crucial for implementing the nexus approach for more effective resilience building. When climate forecasts align with specific sector needs, they can prompt proactive measures such as demand management in energy or crop protection in agriculture. Systems that connect sector-specific protocols with forecast thresholds can lessen economic losses in infrastructure and agriculture.

Meanwhile, spatial analysis of loss and damage helps governments pinpoint the most affected regions and sectors. ESCAP is assisting countries in generating these analytics using national data, climate scenarios, and geospatial overlays. By integrating early warning and loss and damage data into national plans, countries not only reduce current risks but also lay the groundwork for lasting, scalable resilience. 

Furthermore, ESCAP has organized national workshops to create shared risk baselines and develop forward-looking strategies. Participants discuss how risk-informed planning can fit into sector mandates and institutional workflows. Supporting these changes are a set of digital tools developed by ESCAP, including the Risk and Resilience Portal, which provides national planners with downscaled climate projections and hazard overlays for infrastructure, agriculture zoning, and resource planning.

Reference: 

Sarkar-Swaisgood M, Chen Y, and Guo Z. (8 November 2025). Building systemic resilience for the climate, energy and food. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Retrieved November 28, 2025 from https://www.unescap.org/blog/building-systemic-resilience-climate-energy-food