Climate disasters hit poor regions particularly hard

Living conditions play an important role

The study uses the Human Development Index as a benchmark. This index takes into account factors such as education, health, and income. The analysis reveals significant differences. In the case of storms, the risk of death in regions with a low level of development is more than eight times higher than in regions with a very high level of development. In the case of floods, it is three times higher.

“Our results show that the risk posed to people by climate disasters does not depend solely on the severity of the hazard itself. It also depends on who is exposed to it and the socioeconomic conditions under which these people live,” says Khalil Teber, lead author and researcher at the Institute for Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing at the University of Leipzig.

The researchers examined not only entire countries but also individual regions within those countries. This allowed them to highlight differences that are often hidden in national averages. It became apparent that even in countries like India or China, where people live determines how severely a climate disaster affects them. People living in regions that fare worse than the national average are particularly at risk.