India has been ranked ninth globally among the countries most affected by extreme weather events over the past three decades, according to the Germanwatch Global Climate Risk Index (CRI). The report paints a stark picture of India’s long-term vulnerability to climate disasters, warning that the country faces recurring and compounding crises rather than isolated events.
Between 1995 and 2024, India experienced nearly 430 major climate disasters, including cyclones, floods, droughts, and heatwaves. These events have claimed more than 80,000 lives and caused economic losses of about $170 billion, the report said. The findings underscore how deeply climate shocks have been woven into India’s development story.
A pattern of repeated disasters
The report highlights that India’s high ranking is not the result of a few catastrophic incidents but a persistent pattern of severe climate events year after year. Among the most devastating were the 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone, which killed over 10,000 people, and the 2013 Uttarakhand floods, which destroyed entire towns. In addition, record-breaking heatwaves in years such as 1998, 2002, and 2015 claimed thousands of lives, pushing temperatures beyond what many regions could endure.
Floods and storms account for most of the economic losses, particularly in coastal states and river basin areas, where millions live in densely populated and low-lying zones. The recurring nature of these disasters, the report warned, leaves communities struggling to recover before the next shock strikes, slowing India’s overall progress toward sustainable growth.
A call for urgent global action
While India’s position in some recent annual indices shows marginal improvement, the long-term data offers a warning that climate adaptation efforts remain inadequate. The report calls for accelerated action to strengthen resilience, expand early warning systems, and invest in infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather.
It also urges developed nations to fulfill their Loss and Damage finance commitments, allowing countries like India to access the resources needed to protect vulnerable communities. The findings, the report said, should serve as a reminder that climate change is not a distant threat but an ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis for nations like India.
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