Represntational
A UN report said, due to natural disasters, India suffered economic losses of about Rs 6 lakh crore in the last two decades.
Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events such as tsunamis, floods and storms, mainly in lower-middle countries like India, noted United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
During the 20-year period (from 1998 to 2017), India was one of the top five countries to have reported absolute economic losses.
Compared to the previous 20 years, the total disaster losses have increased by 120 per cent, the report said. Interestingly, the climate-related reduction is estimated to have increased by 250 per cent.
“It is clear that the economic losses suffered by low and lower-middle income countries have crippling consequences for their future development and undermine our efforts to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, in particular, the eradication of poverty,” the UNISDR said, as reported by The Times of India.
UNISDR said that between 1998 and 2017 more than 6,600 climate-related disasters took place which killed 1.3 million people. These disasters also left 4.4 billion people injured and homeless.
