United Nations: Soon people will face natural disasters every day

Typhoon Rai devastated the Philippines in December 2021, killing more than 300 people and displacing hundreds of thousands of people, causing about 500 million USD in damage – Photo: AFP

This is the conclusion made by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in the Global Assessment Report 2022, published every two years.

In a report released on April 25, UNDRR said that over the past two decades, the world recorded 350-500 natural disasters each year from moderate to severe. This is five times more than the average over the previous 30 years.

The frequency and magnitude of disasters over the past five years have claimed and affected more lives than in the previous five years, and could push an additional 100 million people into poverty by 2030, of which 37.6 million people fall into extreme poverty.

UNDRR states that in the context of climate change, disasters caused by droughts, extreme temperatures and catastrophic floods are likely to occur with a higher frequency in the future.

However, governments have underestimated the true impact of these disasters on human lives and livelihoods.

UNDRR asserts that one of the main causes of the sharp increase in disasters globally is due to people’s misconceptions about risks. This entails policy, financial and development decisions, increasing risks and exposing people to danger.

UN Under-Secretary-General Amina Mohammed affirmed that “people are putting themselves in a spiral of self-destruction” and ignoring the risks is paying a heavy price.

Firefighters in the state of New Mexico, USA fight “fire enemies” due to forest fires – Photo: CNN

Statistics show that natural disasters around the world have “blown away” $170 billion per year over the past 10 years. The damage mainly occurs in lower-income countries, which lose an average of 1% of gross domestic product (GDP) per year, much higher than the 0.1-0.2% loss experienced by rich countries. rather than suffer.

The Asia and Pacific region suffers the most economic damage and the damage will be proportional to the frequency of natural disasters. For example, in the Philippines, millions of people are still struggling to restore their lives after Typhoon Rai hit the country in December 2021, killing more than 300 people and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. door of refuge, causing about 500 million USD in damage.

Notably, most disaster-related losses are not covered by insurance companies. Since 1980, only about 40% of disaster losses have been covered by insurance globally, but less than 10% in developing countries.

UNDRR head Mami Mizutori said the disaster is completely preventable if countries invest the time and resources to understand and mitigate the risks. It is clear that containment will cause less damage than when a disaster occurs and has to be repaired, she said.

Power poles fell after a storm in Surigao City, Surigao del Norte, Philippines – Photo: AP

What is left after the forest fire sweeps through – Photo: AP

The United Nations warns people are pushing themselves into a “spin of self-destruction” when being subjective to natural disasters – Photo: GETTY IMAGES