Climate Change Related Natural Disasters killed 4 lakh People Worldwide in the Last Decade
By Amila Khan
In the last decade, natural disasters related to weather and climate have killed 410,000 people worldwide.
In the next decade, 50 developing countries will have to spend 5 trillion dollars per year to tackle climate change.
Most of the investments made so far to prevent climate change have not gone to developing countries. Climate change has not stopped in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Equal importance should be given to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic as well as preventing climate change.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said this on Tuesday based on a new research report. The report says global warming is a bigger threat than the COVID-19.
Citing the report, the AFP news agency said the Geneva-based agency had prepared a research report on global disasters since 1960. According to the published report, Since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020, there have been about 100 global disasters.
Many of these are climate-related. And at least 50 million people around the world have been affected by these disasters.
Jagan Shapagain, Secretary-General of IFRC, said at a virtual press conference, “Now the COVID-19 pandemic is going on, it is in front of us all. COVID-19 is attacking our family, friends, relatives.
We are facing a big crisis now.” At the same time, he warned that the IFRC fears that climate change will have a more lasting impact on the lives of the world and people.
AFP says, recently several pharmaceutical companies are hoping to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. They may soon be used to prevent COVID-19.
“Unfortunately, there is no vaccine for climate change,” said Jagan Shapagain, expressing frustration.
According to the IFRC report, there were 308 natural disasters in the world last year. Of these 77 percent are related to climate and weather. At least 24,400 people have lost their lives in these disasters.
Warning of global warming, the top official of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies added that much more sustainable action and investment is needed to truly save lives in this world.
The IFRC report further said that the incidence of weather and climate disasters has been increasing at a regular rate since 1970. In the past decade, natural disasters related to weather and climate have killed 410,000 people worldwide, most of them living in poor countries. The report says, extreme heat waves and cyclones are the deadliest.
Calling on the international community to address climate change with greater emphasis, the IFRC said, “Protect those at the highest risk.” According to that organization, over the next decade, 50 developing countries will have to spend 5 trillion a year to tackle climate change.
The cumulative cost is very very large compared to the impact the COVID-19 deal has had on the world economy. COVID-19 has already hit the world economy by 10 trillion. Most of the investments made so far to prevent climate change have not gone to developing countries. But they are most at risk.
Jagan Shapagain said, “Our first task is to protect the communities most at risk due to climate change. Our research shows that we have failed to do this collectively. “
