Vietnam among worst hit nations by extreme weather in past 20 years

Vietnam is among the 10 countries and territories most affected by extreme weather events in the past two decades, according to the Global Climate Risk Index 2019 of Germanwatch, which was released at the annual climate summit in Poland recently.

Downpour caused flooded streets in Nghe An central province. (Photo: VNA)

Puerto Rico is at the top of the list, followed by Honduras and Myanmar. Vietnam is at the 9^th place.

The report was prepared analysing damages caused by the extreme weather events that took place from 1998 to 2017.

According to the report, more than 526,000 people died worldwide and there were losses of USD 3.47 trillion as a result of more than 11,500 extreme weather events between 1998 and 2017.

Meanwhile, Vietnam was the sixth worst hit nation globally in 2017, the highest of any ASEAN country. This is the result of storms, typhoons and droughts in 2017, which killed 298 people. Thailand came at 10^th place in the list.

Germanwatch, a Berlin-based environmental organisation, has urged countries to adopt the 'rule book' needed for implementing the Paris Agreement, including the global adaptation goal and adaptation communication guidelines./.

VNF/VNA