The Global Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2021, which was released on January 25, revealed that India was the seventh most affected by climate change in 2019.

India's CRI score in 2019 was 16.67 and the total fatality was 2,267.

India was preceded by Mozambique (1), Zimbabwe (2), The Bahamas (3), Japan (4), Malwai (5) and Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (6).

South Sudan at eight, Niger at ninth and Bolivia at tenth completes the list of 10-most affected countries by climate change in 2019, the report by Germanwatch, a Bonn-based environmental organisation, further stated.

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As per the report, in March 2019, the intense tropical Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, causing catastrophic damage and a humanitarian crisis in all three countries.

Quickly becoming the deadliest and costliest tropical cyclone in the South-West Indian Ocean, Idai was labelled as “one of the worst weather-related catastrophes in the history of Africa” by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

The torrential rains and destructive winds with top speeds of 195 kilo-metres per hour caused flash floods and landslides, which caused economic losses amounting to US$ 2.2 billion.

Overall, the cyclone-affected three million people and caused over 1,000 fatalities.

India was affected by the yearly monsoon season, which typically lasts from June to early September.

In 2019, the monsoon conditions continued for a month longer than usual, with the surplus of rain causing major hardship.

From June to end of September 2019, 110 per cent of the normal rainfall occurred, the most since 1994.

The floods caused by the heavy rains were responsible for 1 800 deaths across 14 states and led to the displacement of 1.8 million people.

Overall, 11.8 million people were affected by the intense monsoon season with the economic damage estimated to be US$ 10 billion.

Furthermore, with a total of eight tropical cyclones, the year 2019 was one of the most active Northern Indian Ocean cyclone seasons on record.

Six of the eight cyclones intensified to become “very severe”.

The worst was Cyclone Fani in May 2019, which affected a total of 28 million people, killing nearly 90 people in India and Bangladesh and causing economic losses of US$ 8.1 billion, the report added.

CRI analyses quantified impacts of extreme weather events both in terms of the fatalities and economic losses.

However, It doesn’t consider slow-onset events like rising sea levels, glacier melting or ocean warming and acidification.

The index is based on data from the Munich Re NatCatSERVICE. The most recent data available for 2019 and from 2000 to 2019 was taken into account.

Six of the 10 countries most affected from 2000 to 2019 belong to the low to lower-middle income category.

Climate change affects people in developing countries disproportionately, threatening lives and livelihoods, the report highlighted, adding that international climate financing has remained inadequate.