Most populated areas of India and China at greater risk, says report

Geneva, November 23

Weather-related disasters have grown more frequent over the past 20 years, killing more than 6 lakh people, the UN said today, issuing a further call for nations to strike a landmark deal on climate change.

The report from the UN agency for disaster risk reduction (UNISDR) said: “Floods, storms and other extreme weather events have killed 6,06,000 people since 1995, with an additional 4.1 billion people injured, left homeless or in need of emergency assistance."

According to the UNISDR data, flooding accounted for 47 per cent of all weather disasters over the past 20 years, affecting more than 2.3 billion people, the vast majority of whom live in Asia.

A full 75 per cent of the 4.1 billion people affected were in either China or India, underscoring the extent to which densely populated areas in those countries were disproportionately vulnerable.

The report noted that while there was no way to establish how much increase in such disasters was caused by climate change, the link between the planet's changing climate and extreme weather was clear.

"The contents of this report underline why it is so important that a new climate change agreement emerges from the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris,” said UNISDR chief Margareta Wahlstrom, referring to crunch climate talks starting next week.

The talks that open in the French capital on November 30 are tasked with crafting a 195-nation pact to curb greenhouse gas emissions blamed for dangerous levels of climate change. — AFP