Three decades of climate crisis have left a devastating toll, according to a new report from the Global Climate Risk Index by Germanwatch.
According to the survey, the climate crisis has caused more than 832,000 deaths and economic losses of $4.5 trillion between 1995 and 2024.
The report’s index also shares a ranking of the countries most impacted by natural disasters resulting from global warming.
The report, compiled with data from the EM-DAT International Disaster Database, the World Bank, and the IMF, was presented during the COP30 in Belém.
Report: the countries most vulnerable to global warming
The Global Climate Risk Index by Germanwatch is a report that records more than 9,700 extreme events due to the climate crisis over three decades.
It revealed that the 11 countries most affected by extreme weather events are home to more than 3 billion people.
These are:
- Dominica;
- Myanmar;
- Honduras;
- Libya;
- Haiti;
- Grenada;
- Philippines;
- Nicaragua;
- India;
- Bahamas, and;
- China
These nations are the most impacted by heatwaves, hurricanes, and floods.
Although most of the nations most affected in the report qualify as underdeveloped or developing, the wealthiest countries also suffer the impact of global warming.
The climate crisis does not distinguish economies: from China and India in the top 11, industrialized countries in poor positions are also included, such as:
- France: 12;
- Italy: 16;
- United States: 18;
- Russia: 21;
- Spain: 24;
- Portugal: 27
In contrast to this scenario, there is good news: for 2024, the last year covered by the report, Argentina improved its position compared to 2023.
The nation ranked 40th, improving from the 27th place it held in 2023.
Storms and heatwaves, the deadliest phenomena
Heatwaves and storms caused 66% of the recorded deaths, with 33% each.
Meanwhile, floods accounted for nearly half of those affected, the report notes.
In economic terms, storms caused 58% of direct losses, adjusted for inflation, becoming the most costly phenomenon.
Some countries in the Global South are hit so frequently that “entire regions barely recover before the next event occurs,” warns the report.
Report: the countries with the greatest economic losses due to global warming
Last year, the United States recorded losses of $94 billion due to hurricanes Helene and Milton.
These caused damages of $56 billion and $38 billion, respectively.
Additionally, with the DANA, Spain suffered its worst natural disaster in recent history.
Torrential rains in Valencia left more than 230 dead and economic losses of $11 billion.
Brazil, for its part, experienced severe flooding in Rio Grande do Sul amid the climate crisis.
This implies an impact valued at $7 billion, completing the podium of the most economically affected countries.
Another relevant fact is that storms accounted for 77% of global economic losses in 2024, with $172 billion in direct damages.
