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A new study indicates that 9 of the 15 countries most exposed to natural disasters, including those related to climate change, are islands.
The 2018 World Risk Report badyzes the risk of earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and floods in 172 countries – and also badesses their ability to respond to such events.
The study comes from the Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, and the Development Helps Alliance, an alliance of German humanitarian NGOs.
It was released at a time when Indonesia had recorded at least 429 dead and 150 missing as a result of a tsunami that hit the country's coast last Saturday.
The region is located between mainland Asia and Oceania, the latter being the area considered the most exposed to natural disasters, according to the researchers.
The map shows the natural disaster risk index by region – Photo: BBC [19659009] In the report, countries in the region have a natural disaster risk index. The researchers highlighted the fate of children in vulnerable areas: about one in four children in the world lives in an area affected by disasters.
In addition, United Nations data show that more than half of those displaced by conflict or natural disaster in 2017 were under 18 years of age.
The islands are at the top of the list because of their vulnerability to climatic phenomena, including sea-level rise.
The small island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific was considered the nation the most vulnerable in the world, followed by neighboring Tonga.
The Philippine archipelago, which has more than 104 million inhabitants, ranks third.
Although German researchers generally consider Oceania to be the most risky zone, African countries are not only among the 50 largest countries likely to suffer a natural disaster, but 13 out of 15 with greater "social vulnerability" to disasters.
According to the report, Qatar is the country with the lowest risk.
The researchers stressed the need to prepare for extreme natural disasters, citing as a positive example the reaction of European countries to the heat wave that hit the continent in the spring and summer, causing droughts that directly affected the climate. # 39; agriculture.
"This is the relatively low vulnerability of the countries affected by the drought that spared them from the disaster," writes Katrin Radtke, a professor at the Ruhr University in Bochum.
The risk index is calculated taking into account not only the probability of a natural disaster, but also the way a country is prepared for such an event, taking into account factors such as building standards, poverty levels and existing safety plans. crisis.
This explains why countries hit by earthquakes, such as Japan and Chile, such as Japan and Chile, are not among the 20 most endangered countries.
Or like the Netherlands, which for centuries have been fighting against the sea level, occupy only the 65th position.
"These countries can not sufficiently reduce the potential risks badociated with natural events, but they are not the most vulnerable," the report says.
"With regard to the climate, 2018 has been a rewarding learning year.And again, it was clear that it was essential to be well prepared for extreme natural events", said Angelika Bohling, President of Development Helps Alliance.
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