Terrible panorama in climate change: “More than 2 million people died”
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that between 1970 and 2021, more than 2 million people lost their lives due to extreme weather, water and climate related disasters and economic losses of $4.3 trillion were experienced.
WMO has released its new report for the quarterly World Meteorological Congress, which begins on May 22, to ensure early warning services reach the world by the end of 2027. According to the report, there were 11,778 natural disasters between 1970 and 2021.
More than 2 million people lost their lives due to extreme weather, climate and water-related disasters, and these disasters caused economic losses of $4.3 trillion.
While economic losses have increased due to natural disasters, advanced early warning systems and coordinated disaster management have reduced loss of life over the past 50 years.
90 percent of reported deaths worldwide occurred in developing countries. The United States alone has reported losses of $1.7 trillion in the past 51 years, representing 39% of global economic losses. Least developed countries and small island developing countries suffered disproportionate costs due to extreme natural events.
In 2020 and 2021, a total of 22,608 deaths from extreme natural events were recorded.
It was noted that many of the natural events that increase economic losses fall into the category of “storms”.
‘EARLY WARNING SAVES LIVES’
“Unfortunately, the most vulnerable communities bear the brunt of hazards associated with weather, climate and water,” WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said in the report.
Stating that the recent Hurricane Mocha, which hit Myanmar and Bangladesh, is an example of this, Taalas said the hurricane caused great destruction in these two countries and hit the poor the hardest.
Taalas recalled that hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives due to extreme natural events in both Myanmar and Bangladesh in the past. Early warning saves lives. he performed the assessment of it. (AA)