China, Philippines on top of Asian countries worst hit by disasters in 2012
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail Xinhua, December 27, 2012
In a special chapter of its flagship annual statistical publication entitled "Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2012", the ADB pointed out the dangers of natural disasters as having potentially catastrophic effects on population centers. "Rising urban populations mean that over 400 million people in Asian cities may be at risk of coastal flooding and roughly 350 million at risk of inland flooding by 2025,"the ADB said.
In a related topic, Germanwatch, a climate and development organization, said the Philippines ranked 10th among countries when it comes to exposure and responding to severe weather caused by climate change.
Analyzing data from l991 to 2010, Germanwatch said that all those identified to be most affected in the past two decades were developing countries. Aside from the Philippines, the 10 countries include Bangladesh, Myanmar, Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, Pakistan and the DPRK. "This year's analysis underlines that less developed countries are generally more affected than industrialized countries, according to the Climate Risk Index. With regard to future climate change, the Climate Risk Index can serve as a warning signal indicating past vulnerability which may further increase in regions where extreme events will become more frequent or more severe through climate change,"the study said.
The Philippines, a country of about 100 million people, sits on the earthquake-prone Ring of Fire. The country is also on the path of typhoons that form in the western Pacific and is visited by about 20 storms every year.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)