India Among Top 10 Countries Imacted By Extreme Weather Events from Vajirao & Reddy Institute

INDIA AMONG TOP 10 COUNTRIES IMPACTED BY EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS

• According to the Climate Risk Index (CRI) report by the non-profit organization Germanwatch, India ranks 6th among the top 10 countries most affected by extreme weather events over the past 30 years (1993-2023).
• The report highlights that India has experienced over 400 extreme weather events resulting in significant economic losses and fatalities.

• Over the last three decades, these events have caused $180 billion in economic losses and resulted in at least 80,000 fatalities in the country.
• These events include devastating floods, heatwaves, and cyclones.

• Floods:
  • 1993 Floods in northern India
  • 1998 Gujarat Cyclone and 1999 Odisha Cyclone
  • 2013 Uttarakhand floods
  • 2019 severe floods
• Heatwaves:
  • India experienced severe heat waves in 2002, 2003, and 2015, with temperatures reaching up to 50°C in some areas, causing significant fatalities.
  • Heat-related Fatalities:
    • Heatwaves in 1998, 2002, 2003, and 2015 caused a significant number of fatalities, with temperatures reaching extreme levels.
  • Cyclones:
    • Cyclones Hudhud (2014) and Cyclone Amphan (2020) were among the destructive cyclonic events impacting India.

• Global Impact:
  • The report notes that globally, there have been more than 765,000 fatalities due to extreme weather events since 1993, and economic losses have exceeded $4.2 trillion—equivalent to Germany’s entire GDP.
• Countries Affected by Recurring vs Exceptional Events:
  • China, India, and the Philippines were primarily affected by recurring extreme events over the past three decades.
  • Dominica, Honduras, Myanmar, and Vanuatu experienced exceptional extreme events.
• Hazards and Fatalities:
  • Among different weather hazards, storms resulted in the highest number of fatalities, followed by heatwaves, floods, droughts, and wildfires over the past 30 years.

• Countries Most Affected in 2022:
  • In 2022, the countries most impacted by extreme weather events were Pakistan, Belize, Italy, Greece, Spain, and Puerto Rico.
  • The United States, Nigeria, Portugal, and Bulgaria ranked 7th to 10th.
• Heatwave in Europe:
  • Heatwaves were the leading cause of fatalities in 2022. A persistent heatwave across Europe severely impacted Italy (3rd), Greece (4th), Spain (5th), Portugal (9th), and Bulgaria (10th).
  • The heatwave caused widespread fatalities and stress on health systems across these countries.
• Distribution of Affected Countries by Income Group:
  • From 1993 to 2022, India and four other countries in the top 10 were from the lower middle-income group.
  • Dominica and China were in the upper middle-income group, while Italy, Greece, and Spain were in the high-income group.
  • For 2022, Pakistan and Nigeria were from the lower middle-income group, while Belize was from the upper middle-income group. High-income countries like Italy, Greece, Spain, Puerto Rico, United States, Portugal, and Bulgaria dominated the list.

• Vulnerability of Developing Countries:
  • The report emphasizes that vulnerable countries, especially in the lower middle-income group, are disproportionately affected by climate change impacts.
  • These countries often lack the financial resources and technical capacity to effectively adapt to and manage the losses and damages caused by extreme weather events.
• Need for Enhanced Mitigation Actions:
  • The report advocates for countries to urgently ramp up their mitigation actions to limit global warming to 5°C or as close as possible. This includes updating their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• The increased occurrence and intensity of extreme weather events highlight the need for stronger global cooperation and financial support to help vulnerable nations adapt to the effects of climate change.