The Asian Transport Observatory (ATO) participated in the APAN Pre-Forum Webinar on "Beyond Bricks: Transforming Infrastructure, Cities and Industries for Climate Resilience" on 25 August 2025. The session highlighted how transformational adaptation is essential to safeguard development gains across the Asia-Pacific.

Representing ATO, Alvin Mejia shared key insights on transport and climate resilience:

• Infrastructure Gaps: Asia-Pacific’s transport systems are still being built out, but density and quality lag behind OECD levels. Quality of transport infrastructure is also a key issue, particularly in low and middle-income economies in the region.
• Climate Risks and Exposure: The region accounts for the vast majority of global floods, cyclones, and landslides, with over 75% of road and rail assets exposed to extreme precipitation. Annual damages to transport infrastructure are estimated at USD 8.5 billion, while port disruption puts USD 60 billion in global trade at risk.
• Policies and standards: Resilience must become a baseline requirement, not an add-on. Policies provide the mandate, standards drive practice, and together they create the enabling environment for unlocking finance and innovation supporting systematic shifts towards better resilience of transport infrastructure.

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