Climate Risk Index report reveals staggering toll on lives and economy due to recurring climate disasters

India has ranked sixth in a global report analysing the most extreme weather-impacted countries from 1993 to 2022, with catastrophic events claiming over USD 180 billion in economic losses. According to the Climate Risk Index (CRI) published by Germanwatch, India has faced over 400 extreme weather events in these 30 years, resulting in at least 80,000 fatalities.

The report highlights some of the deadliest and most destructive incidents in India’s recent history, including floods in 1993, 1998, and 2013, and severe heatwaves in 2002, 2003, and 2015. India also bore the brunt of powerful cyclones such as the 1998 Gujarat cyclone, the 1999 Odisha cyclone, and more recently, Cyclones Hudhud and Amphan in 2014 and 2020. Extreme heatwaves, with temperatures soaring above 50°C, were significant contributors to the country’s loss of life.

The broader global context reveals more than 765,000 fatalities and over USD 4.2 trillion in economic damages caused by extreme weather events over the last three decades. Storms were the deadliest, followed by heatwaves, floods, droughts, and wildfires.

While countries like India, China, and the Philippines experienced recurring extreme events, nations such as Dominica, Honduras, and Vanuatu were more frequently affected by catastrophic events. The report notes a troubling trend: five of the 10 most affected countries, including India, were from the lower-middle-income group, highlighting the vulnerability of these nations to the impacts of climate change.

The 2022 CRI data indicates that heatwaves were the leading cause of fatalities that year, with countries like Italy, Greece, and Spain suffering devastating losses due to persistent heatwaves in Europe.