India among 13 countries with high emissions facing ‘some of severest impact’ of climate change: Report
India among 13 countries with high emissions facing ‘some of severest impact’ of climate change: Report
NEW DELHI: India is among 13 of 30 high-emitting countries, responsible for almost 90 per cent of global carbon emissions, which could be facing “some of the severest impacts” of climate change, especially from heat, said an international risk intelligence provider company Verisk Maplecroft in its analysis of Climate Hazard Index released on Thursday.
In the worst-case scenario which factors in the current emission trajectory under existing policies of the countries, India figures at third spot (third highest risk) in the list. The country is at third place even under a best-case climate scenario of keeping the temperature rise below 2 degree celsius by the end of the century compared to the pre-industrial level (1850-1900).
According to the report, Thailand has the highest risk in the list of 13 under the worst-case climate scenario followed by Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan, Mexico and Iran. The analysis shows that alongside increasing mean temperatures, these 13 emitters are set to experience a significant rise in episodes of extreme heat.
“Extreme heat will act as a pervasive drag on many types of economic activity. This is particularly true when it combines with intense humidity in tropical regions or radiant heat in deserts,” said the Verisk Maplecroft’s report that shows elevated climate hazard risk of major emitters by 2080.
It noted that though the world’s two largest emitters, the US and China, are not immune to such risk, these two countries should for the most part “escape the very worst outcomes”. Such relatively low vulnerability can be attributed to adaptation measures being taken by them.
“The UNFCCC COP process might give the impression that countries are either drivers or sufferers of climate change. But our analysis reveals a clear overlap between those perpetuating global warming and the societies and economies set to face the harshest consequences,” said James Lockhart Smith, Verisk Maplecroft’s head of sustainable finance, who led the research.
The company analysed data on different climate scenarios, assessing countries’ exposure to 16 chronic and acute climate risks such as extreme temperatures, drought and severe storm across seven time-horizons.
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