ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is among 10 countries that have been affected the most by climate change in the 20-year period from 1997 to 2016 and occupies the seventh place on the list, according to the Global Climate Risk Index 2018 published on Thursday.

For 2016 Pakistan had a Climate Risk Index (CRI) score of 50.83, as 566 fatalities were recorded in the year and climate change caused a financial loss of $47.31 million. In CRI rankings, Pakistan was ranked fourth when it came to fatalities and 69th in terms of financial losses.

The Global Climate Risk Index 2018 published by Germanwatch, an independent development and environmental organisation, has analysed the extent to which countries have been adversely affected by weather-related events. The data for 2016 and those for the 1997-2016 period were taken into consideration while formulating the report.

According to the report, a new category of countries has been gaining relevance over recent years: countries like Haiti, the Philippines and Pakistan that are frequently affected by calamities.

Such countries have been ranked among the most affected ones both in the long-term index and in the index for respective years.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2017