Natur- og menneskeskabte katastrofer kan være lige så stor en byrde for et land som en krig
Disasters have already caused more than 300 billion US dollar in losses so far this year, roughly the same as in all of 2010, the UN said Tuesday, citing figures by the Center for Research for Epidemiology of Disasters, a UN collaborating center.
“The 2011 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction” estimates that the amount of global GDP exposed to harm by disasters had nearly tripled from 525,7 billion dollar 40 years ago to 1,58 trillion.
– The risk of losing wealth in disasters is actually increasing faster than that wealth is being created, said Andrew Maskrey, coordinator of the report – se den på http://www.preventionweb.net/english/hyogo/gar/2011/en/home/index.html
– Losses from disasters are often at least as great as those a country is experiencing through high inflation or armed conflict for example, Maskrey noted.
Even though the chance of dying in a weather-related disaster is diminishing worldwide, economic losses from catastrophes are rising in all regions often due to a lack of investment, the UN further said.
Damage to infrastructure – schools, health centers, roads, bridges – is soaring in many low- and middle-income countries despite improvements in many early warning systems.
Meanwhile, in related news, the UK’s International Development Committee criticized the UN for poor leadership during last year’s floods in Pakistan, which it said led to delays and left millions in need of assistance.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
