According to a UN analysis, natural disasters are affecting more and more people, partly because of climate change. In the period from 2005 to 2014 there were 1147 per 100,000 people per year, in the period from 2012 to 2021 there were already 2066 per year. Thanks to better preparedness, the number of deaths from natural disasters fell from 1.77 per 100,000 inhabitants to 0.84 in the same period.
Nevertheless, early warning systems that could protect more people are missing in too many countries, the United Nations reported on the “International Day of Disaster Prevention” on Thursday in Geneva.
Comprehensive early warning systems should, among other things, warn people in good time of various impending dangers, describe the possible consequences and show protection options and tips for self-help after the event. They should be developed with the involvement of the population, which can then prepare better.
Countries particularly affected are poorly equipped
Statistically, 4.62 people per 100,000 die in disasters in countries with limited early warning systems, compared to 0.6 in well-resourced countries, according to the report by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Weather Organization (WMO). . However, only half of the countries in the world have comprehensive early warning systems. Among the poorer countries particularly affected by climate change, it is less than half and among the small island states only a third.
The UN is demanding more investment in early warning systems and financial support for poorer countries. “There will be extreme weather events,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “But it doesn’t have to turn into deadly disasters.”
