Climate Risk Index, 2026

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Environment | Geography

Why in news?

A new German watch report, 'Climate Risk Index 2026', reveals worldwide extreme weather claimed over 8lakh lives between 1995-2024.

It is an annual report that ranks countries based on the human and economic impact of extreme weather events, such as storms, floods, and heatwaves.
First published in - 2006.
Released by – German watch, an environmental think tank.
Data Source – EM-DAT international disaster database, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank.
Methodology – 3 Hazard Categories

Hydrological	Floods, glacial lake outbursts
Meteorological	Storms, cyclones
Climatological	Heatwaves, wildfires

The index captures short-term impact (events from the year preceding publication) & long-term impact (cumulative data from the past 30 years).
Indicators & Weightage
- Number of deaths – Weight: 1/6
- Number of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants – Weight: 1/3
- Sum of losses in US$ in purchasing power parity (PPP) – Weight: 1/6
- Losses per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – Weight: 1/3
Ranking – A higher rank indicates greater vulnerability and damage, often linked to anthropogenic climate change.

Key findings

All of the top ten countries on the list are in the Global South.

Climate Risk Index, 2026

Total Global Impact – Between 1995 and 2024, more than 8lakh people were killed across the world as a direct result of extreme weather events caused economic losses to the tune of over $4.5 trillion.
Trend – Vulnerable nations face recurring disasters with little recovery time, exacerbated by climate change.

India’s Position & Impact

Rank – 9^th most climate-affected country globally (Ranks 15 for 2024).
Extreme Events (1995–2024) – Major events include heatwaves, floods, cyclones, intense monsoons, landslides, and droughts.
Over 1 billion people affected, more than 80,000 fatalities reported which resulted in inflation-adjusted losses of around $170 billion.
Nature of Risk – India faces compound and continuous risks, with events like Cyclone Amphan (2020) and the 2024 monsoon floods highlighting systemic vulnerabilities.

References