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RI among most exposed to climate change
The top 10 countries most severely impacted by extreme weather conditions (including floods, storms and droughts) believed to be the result of climate change, between 1990 and 2008, were developing countries, a study shows
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he top 10 countries most severely impacted by extreme weather conditions (including floods, storms and droughts) believed to be the result of climate change, between 1990 and 2008, were developing countries, a study shows.
The ten most severely affected countries were Bangladesh, Myanmar, Honduras, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Haiti, India, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines and China.
According to the Germanwatch Global Risk Index 2010, Indonesia, the world's fourth-most-populated nation, was ranked 25th - far better than its 2008 ranking in 13th .
Last year, Myanmar, Yemen and Vietnam were the most severely affected by extreme weather events.
Author of the Index, Sven Harmeling, said the analysis was based on the number of deaths and sum of losses per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
"Extreme weather is an increasing threat to lives and economic values around the world, and their impacts will likely grow larger in future because of climate change," he said.
The study shows that around the world, 600,000 people had died as direct consequences of more than 11,000 extreme weather events in 2008, which had also caused financial losses of at least US$1.7 trillion.
According to Germanwatch, anthropogenic climate change will lead to further increases in precipitation extremes and droughts.
The index indicates countries' levels of exposure and vulnerability to extreme weather events, which should be recognized as warning signals in preparing for more severe impacts in future.
In Myanmar, 95 percent of the recorded damages and fatalities were caused by Cyclone Nargis in 2008, while more than 80 percent of fatalities in Honduras were caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
The data shows that of 20 nations most at risk, only four were developed nations, including the United States, where Hurricane Ika killed 183 people in 2008.
The report was launched on the sidelines of the Copenhagen summit, as negotiators were struggling to formulate climate financing to help developing and poorer nations adapt to warmer temperatures.
Developing countries have asked richer nations to commit to predictable and sustainable funding for adaptation activities.
Ambassador Ibrahim Mirghani Ibrahim of Sudan, the chairman of the G77/China, called on richer nations to provide financial aid to assist developing nations in adapting to climate change.
"The adaptation activities are a high priority for all developing countries, particularly the most vulnerable among us," he told a plenary of subsidiary body for implementation (SBI).
The group also expressed concerns over the lack of progress on capacity building in dealing with climate change.
Algerian negotiator Djamel Erichk, who spoke on behalf of 43 countries in Africa, agreed that adaptation was the main priority for the region to cope with severe impacts of climate change.
"We want a flexible mechanism for an adaptation fund so we can get easier access to the money," he said.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) executive secretary Yvo de Boer has also asked the Copenhagen talks to agree on a start-up climate financing of US$10 billion per year.
Indonesian chief negotiator Rachmat Witoelar said Indonesia, with its huge coastal areas and high poverty rate, was among the most vulnerable countries to rising sea levels.
He said one of Indonesia's priorities was to ensure that the Copenhagen talks agreed on the climate financing scheme necessary to mitigate and adapt to global warming.
