Italy, Greece, Spain among top ten countries most affected by extreme weather – report
Clean Energy Wire
Extreme droughts and floods hit Italy, Greece and Spain more than most other countries across the globe in the past 30 years, causing many deaths and high economical losses, according to the Climate Risk Index (CRI) published by NGO Germanwatch. More than 65,000 deaths were related to extreme weather events from 1993 to 2022 in the three Mediterranean countries, while economic losses amounted to more than 90 billion U.S. dollars.
The CRI ranks countries worldwide by how their population and economy are affected by extreme weather events, which are becoming more intense and frequent due to rising global temperatures. With Europe being “the fastest-warming continent in the world” the likelihood of extreme weather events rises particularly rapidly in the region, the report said. The strong heatwave in 2022 was an extraordinary example, which included severe droughts and wildfires, and revealed that many European countries are not prepared in terms of comprehensive risk management, according to the report. Other experts agree that Europe must urgently step up its efforts to adapt to climate change, in addition to emission-cutting efforts.
Worldwide damages added up to 4.2 trillion dollars in the same timeframe, the report said. The authors also warned that economic losses could rise to 38 trillion US dollars per year worldwide by 2050. The report called for supporting the most vulnerable countries with adequate climate financing. Temperatures in Europe have increased at more than twice the global average, making climate adaptation ever more pressing, but also a moving target.
