Climate change: Bangladesh 7th most affected nation over 20 years

Bangladesh is the seventh among 10 countries most affected by climate change impacts in a 20-year period, from 1999 to 2018, according to the Global Climate Risk Index 2020.

Also, Bangladesh ranks ninth in fatalities among the 181 countries analysed in the study, 37th in fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants, 17th in losses and 40th in losses per unit GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

The index analysed the extent to which countries and regions were affected by impacts of weather-related loss events, such as storms, floods and heatwaves. The most recent data available – for the year 2018 and during the period from 1999 to 2018 – were taken into account. 

Bangladesh is, however, not on the list of the 10 most affected countries in 2018. Japan topped the list while India ranked fifth.  

Germanwatch, a German non-profit organisation that seeks to influence public policy on trade and environment, released the index on Wednesday.

Puerto Rico topped the index, followed by Myanmar and Haiti. 

The index analyses quantified impacts of extreme weather events – both in terms of fatalities as well as economic losses that occurred.

It examines both absolute and relative impacts to create an average ranking of countries in four indicating categories:

1. Number of deaths

2. Number of deaths per 1,00,000 inhabitants

3. Sum of losses (in US$) in purchasing power parity (PPP)

4. Losses per unit of gross domestic product (GDP)

India, Sri Lanka most affected in 2018

India was the fifth most affected country in 2018. The southwest monsoon that year severely affected the country, the report said.

India's Kerala was especially affected where 324 people died because of drowning or being buried in the landslides set off by the flooding – the worst in a hundred years.

Also, severe monsoon rain affected Sri Lanka in May 2018, which affected almost 20 districts, especially in the south and west coast.

Sri Lanka ranked sixth on the 2018 most affected list. Japan topped the list, followed by Philippines and Germany.

According to the study, global warming makes extreme weather events, such as droughts and storms, more frequent and stronger. 

In the past 20 years, altogether, about 4,95,000 people died as a direct result of more than 12,000 extreme weather events globally. 

During the same time, the losses amounted to around $3.54 trillion (in purchasing power parities).