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Global Climate Risk Index 2015: Philippines, Cambodia and India most affected during the last year

Germanwatch launches the Index at the onset of the Climate Summit in Lima: Countries of the host region among the most distressed by extreme events.

The Philippines, Cambodia and India were most affected by extreme weather events in 2013. This is the result of this year’s Global Climate Risk Index, presented by the development and environmental organisation Germanwatch. “We all remember the images of the catastrophic Typhoon Haiyan, which wiped out entire regions and took the lives of more than 6000,” said Sönke Kreft, author of the study and Team Leader for International Climate Policy at Germanwatch. “It was the most severe tropical storm ever to make landfall. Last year, at the beginning of the Climate Summit in Warsaw, many people were struggling there for their lives. Climate change must be controlled so that the future will not bring more of these record-breaking catastrophes." India was also severely impacted in 2013, suffering from the second largest cyclone ever to hit the country.

The Global Climate Risk Index's long-term component, which depicts 1994–2013, shows that the major impacts of floods, storms and heat waves often fall on developing countries. Nine out of ten countries are considered 'low' or 'lower-middle' income countries, with the 'Bottom three’ being Honduras, Myanmar and Haiti. Kreft: "The Index especially highlights the climate vulnerability of the region hosting the COP; four out of the ten most impaired countries come from Latin America and the Caribbean. We hope that the results of the Index further increase the awareness for climate protection and adaptation in this region. The Climate Summit in Lima can spur action in these countries and facilitate international support.”

For the complete article, please see GermanWatch.