Poor developing countries are particularly vulnerable to global climate risks, despite the fact that in monetary terms the damage caused by extreme weather events is significantly higher in rich countries. The Global Climate Risk Index 2014 published by Germanwatch shows to what extent countries have been affected by weather-related events such as flooding, storms, heat waves, etc. Both the impact on the people (the number of people who died) and the direct economic losses were examined. According to the recent climate risk index 2014, Honduras, Myanmar, and Haiti were from 1993 to 2012 most strongly affected by extreme weather events, followed by Nicaragua, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. The countries affected most in 2012 were Haiti, the Philippines, and Pakistan.
While according to Germanwatch the damages and casualties don't allow for conclusions on the degree to which climate change influenced these events, they still give an idea of the vulnerability of states. They may serve as a warning to better prepare for possibly more severe and more numerous extreme events by improving disaster preparedness and adaptation.
Further information: http://germanwatch.org/de/download/8551.pdf
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(TW 74, March 2014)