This report is a summary of the 'Special report on managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation' (SREX) from an Asian perspective. The report was written over two and a half years and it has gone through an extensive expert and government review and approval process. The report assesses the science and implications of extreme weather trends and how climate extremes, humans and the environment interact to influence disaster impacts and risk management. This summary evaluates changing disaster risks and their possible future impacts. It discusses the management of climate change and disaster risk, concluding with a number of  implications for decision-makers in Asia. Integrating disaster risk management into climate adaptation and resilience building is crucial; not only through incremental policy initiatives but also at a deeper cultural level. Leadership, technology and empowering different actors to cooperate more fully are some of the presented suggestions for achieving this goal. The report highlights ten key messages.

Disaster risk will continue to increase; Asia already has more than 90 per cent of the global population exposed to tropical cyclones.
Evidence suggests that climate change has changed the magnitude and frequency of some extreme weather events.
Year-to-year variation will remain more significant than any other upward trends for the next two or three decades.
Uncertainty remains high for some regions and extremes, for instance drought trends across Asia.
Greater vulnerability and more severe and frequent climate extremes could increasingly impact the living and working conditions in vulnerable places, such as low-lying islands and coastal areas.
There should be more emphasis on anticipation and risk reduction, for example the introduction of index-linked insurance for non-irrigated crops.
Existing risk management measures need to be improved; for example Indonesia has created a strong association between disaster risk management and development planning processes.
Countries’ capacity to meet challenges is determined by the effectiveness of their national risk management systems.
Fundamental adjustments are needed in the most vulnerable areas.
Any delay in greenhouse gas mitigation is likely to lead to greater disaster losses.