Extreme weather events linked to the
climate crisis caused over 765,000 deaths worldwide between 1993
to 2022, including around 38,000 deaths in Italy, Germanwatch
said Wednesday in its 'Climate Risk Index 2025' report.
The development, environment and human rights organization added
that over 9,400 extreme weather events registered worldwide in
this period caused direct losses of nearly USD 4.2 trillion
(inflation-adjusted).
It said Italy was the fifth-worst-affected country by these
climate events in the period in question after Dominica, China,
Honduras and Myanmar.
"The country has faced several extreme heat waves, especially in
the
previous 20 years, causing severe human and economic losses,"
the report said.
"The years 2003 and 2022 were notable for their exceptionally
high numbers of fatalities associated with scorching
temperatures and damage from droughts, wildfires, decreased
agricultural productivity, infrastructure damage, and the strain
on health services and energy grids.
"Heavy flooding, especially along the Po River, caused extensive
damage, such as
in the 1994 and 2000 Piedmont floods.
"Overall, Italy suffered economic losses of nearly USD 60
billion and more than 38,000 fatalities".
Scientists say the climate crisis caused by human greenhouse gas
emissions is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves,
droughts, supercharged storms and flooding more frequent and
more intense.
Although there are many sources of the greenhouse gases that are
causing global heating, the main driver is the burning of fossil
fuels such as oil, gas and coal, sales of which generate huge
profits for the world's energy giants.
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