WD News: India may have suffered an economic loss of $4.4 billion last year alone due to storms, and an additional $3.2 billion due to flooding, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
WMO’s State of Climate in Asia 2021 report reveals that weather and water-related hazards caused a total damage of $35.6 billion across the continent, affecting nearly 50 million people.
Flooding has caused the highest economic losses in China ($18.4 billion), followed by India ($3.2 billion) and Thailand ($0.6 billion).
Storms also caused significant economic damage, especially in India ($4.4 billion), China ($3.0 billion) and Japan ($2 billion).
The report highlights how the climate crisis is exacerbating food insecurity and poverty.
Many glaciers in high mountain Asia including the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau lost mass rapidly due to exceptionally warm and dry conditions in 2021, the report said. “These so-called water towers of the world are vital for freshwater supplies for the most densely populated part of the planet and so glacier retreat has major implications for future generations. Water-related extremes are the most important hazard in Asia.”
Source & Image Courtesy: Hindustan Times
