India Ranks Sixth in Global Climate Risk Index: Urgent Need for Climate Resilience
New Delhi, February 12, 2025 – India has been ranked as the sixth most affected country globally by extreme weather events over the past three decades (1993-2022), according to the Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2025 released by the environmental think tank Germanwatch. While India improved its rank from 7th in 2019 to 49th in 2022, its long-term vulnerability remains significant, with 80,000 lives lost and nearly $180 billion in economic damages recorded due to 400 extreme weather events during this period. The findings underscore the urgent need for enhanced climate resilience and global cooperation to address escalating risks.
India’s Climate Challenges in Focus
The CRI 2025 highlights India’s recurring battles with devastating climate events, including:
- The 1998 Gujarat cyclone and the 1999 Odisha cyclone
- Cyclones Hudhud (2014) and Amphan (2020)
- The 1993 northern India floods, the 2013 Uttarakhand floods, and the 2019 severe floods
- Extreme heatwaves with temperatures nearing 50°C in 1998, 2002, 2003, and 2015, severely impacting agriculture and livelihoods
India’s high ranking reflects its vulnerability to both absolute fatalities and economic losses, emphasizing the need for robust adaptation and mitigation strategies. The report aligns with a recent Asian Development Bank (ADB) study, which warns that India could face a 24.7% loss in GDP by 2070 due to climate change, driven by rising sea levels, decreased labor productivity, and extreme weather events.
Global Climate Crisis: A Shared Challenge
Globally, extreme weather events claimed 765,000 lives and caused $4.2 trillion in economic losses between 1993 and 2022. The report identifies storms (35%), heatwaves (30%), and floods (27%) as the leading causes of fatalities. Notably, seven of the top 10 most affected countries in 2022 were high-income nations, including Italy, Spain, and Greece, indicating that even developed economies are not immune to climate risks.
However, lower-income countries, particularly in the Global South, remain disproportionately vulnerable due to limited coping capacities. “The climate crisis is increasingly becoming a global security risk and must be addressed with bold multilateral actions,” said Laura Schaefer, co-author of the CRI report and head of the International Climate Policy Division at Germanwatch.
Key Recommendations for India
For India, the findings highlight the need for domestic policy reforms and international collaboration to enhance climate resilience. Key areas of focus include:
- Strengthening early warning systems for extreme weather events.
- Investing in climate-resilient infrastructure to mitigate economic losses.
- Promoting sustainable agriculture to safeguard food security.
- Expanding renewable energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
The Failure of Global Climate Finance
The report criticizes the lack of progress at COP29, where the international community failed to deliver an ambitious New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. The proposed $300 billion annually by 2035 is deemed insufficient to address the escalating crisis.
“This gap must be filled as soon as possible. Wealthier countries must step up, live up to their responsibilities, and provide the necessary support to ensure a more resilient and sustainable future,” said Vera Künzel, co-author of the CRI report and senior advisor on Climate Change Adaptation and Human Rights at Germanwatch.
A Call for Global Cooperation
The climate crisis is no longer just an environmental issue but a global security imperative. The report warns that the world is entering a critical and unpredictable phase of the climate crisis, which will significantly impact social development and global security.
As India and other vulnerable nations grapple with the escalating impacts of climate change, the international community must prioritize adequate climate finance, robust adaptation measures, and collaborative efforts to build a more sustainable and resilient future.
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