In a report released by the UN office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) on Tuesday, global economic losses were estimated at $ 3 trillion over the past two decades. The study has avoided providing country-specific data on losses. Extreme weather Events – floods, storms, heat waves, droughts, and wildfires – accounted for almost 91% of 7,348 natural disasters in the past 20 years, compared to 4,212 between 1980 and 1999.
“We are deliberately destructive. That is the only conclusion that can be reached when reviewing the disasters that have occurred in the last 20 years. Covid-19 is but the latest proof that political and business leaders have yet to tune in to the world around them, ”said Mami Mizutori, Director of UNDRR.
The study found that disasters have claimed approximately 1.2 million lives, an average of 60,000 per year, and affected more than 4 billion people with $ 2.9 billion in economic losses over the past two decades. By comparison, 1.2 million lives were lost and $ 1.6 trillion in economic losses incurred between 1980 and 1999. “China (577 events) and the US (467) had the highest number of disasters, followed by India (321) and the Philippines (304), “it said.
In its report: ‘The human cost of disasters, an overview of the last 20 years’, the UNDRR has warned how global warming is causing more climate-related disasters, the frequency of which has increased by more than 83% in the last two decades compared to the previous two.
The past 20 years have seen 6,681 weather-related disasters compared to 3,656 during 1980-1999. Although mortality has decreased in climate-related events in the 21st century due to technological advances and better early warning systems, the report warns of a higher cost paid by citizens due to increased economic damage and disruption of the livelihoods.
.
