Climate change is real: India fifth most vulnerable to extreme weather disasters, shows study

Representative image.

India ranked among the top five countries worst affected by climate change-induced extreme weather events in 2018.

According to the Global Climate Risk Index by Germanwatch, an international environmental think tank, India ranks fifth in the list of countries worst affected by climate disasters in 2018, The Indian Express has reported. The list is topped by Japan, the Philippines and Germany.

The index ranks the most vulnerable countries based on the number of casualties as well as economic losses caused by disasters. Last year, India was ranked 14^th on the list of most-affected countries in 2017.

In 2018, as many as 2,081 human lives were lost in India – the maximum for any country that year. While Japan lost 1,282 lives, Germany had 1,246 fatalities in climate-related incidents that year.

India’s economic losses in extreme weather events have been estimated to be over $37.8 billion.

The incidents that caused these losses include the prolonged heat wave in northern and central parts of India, the cyclones on the eastern coast and floods in Kerala.

The report noted, “The yearly monsoon season, lasting from June to September, severely affected India in 2018. The state of Kerala was especially impacted – 324 people died because of drowning or being buried in landslides set off by flooding, the worst in one hundred years. Over 220,000 people had to leave their homes, 20,000 houses and 80 dams were destroyed.”

“The damage amounted to USD 2.8 billion. Furthermore, India’s east coast was hit by the cyclones Titli and Gaja in October and November 2018. With wind speeds of up to 150 km per hour, cyclone Titli killed at least eight people and let around 450,000 without electricity,” the report added.

The report also highlights how the heatwave has become a permanent characteristic of the Indian summer. Since 2004, India has experienced 11 of its 15 warmest recorded years. Since 1992, an estimated 25,000 Indians have died as a result of heatwaves.

The report was released close on the heels of the COP 25 meet which is currently underway in Madrid, where world leaders have come to discuss climate change issues.