UP, Bihar, and Assam are among the top 50 climate-vulnerable states

Digital Desk: According to the latest Cross Dependency Initiative assessment, nine Indian states are among the top 50 in the world that have grown susceptible to climate change (XDI). These states are Punjab, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Gujarat, according to the XDI 2023 Gross Domestic Climate Risk Assessment.

According to the research, while Bihar is placed 22nd, Uttar Pradesh and Assam are ranked 25th and 28th, respectively, in the list. Punjab is ranked 48th, Rajasthan is ranked 32nd, and Tamil Nadu is placed 36th on the list. Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Kerala are placed 38th, 44th, and 50th, respectively.

 

According to the index, Asia dominated the list of provinces at danger by aggregated damage ratio (ADR), accounting for 114 of the top 200. There are 29 such regions in China, 9 in India, and 3 in the United States on the list.

"South Asia is home to 24 of the top 200. After China, India has the most states in the top 50 (9), with Punjab, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Assam ranking highest," according to the research. Climate threats in over 2,600 states and provinces in 2050 have been calculated in the research. 

 

“Damage Ratio is an expression of the Annual Average Loss from extreme weather damage to a property as a fraction of the replacement cost of that property. It is expressed as a ratio to enable comparability of physical risk unaffected by exchange rates, inflation and other variables.” XDI said.

 

"Aggregated Damage Ratio considers the total amount of damage to a province's built environment. Damage ratios are pooled and standardised to provide insight into the level of danger to the built environment as a whole, allowing states with greater stock vulnerable to be recognised," the report continues

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Pakistan, Jakarta, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City, and Taiwan are among the other South East Asian countries vulnerable to climate change.

 

"East Asia and South-East Asia have the greatest increase in Average Damage between 1990 and 2050, and China in particular has numerous provinces with the greatest overall Aggregated Damage Ratio. This increase and overall danger to the built environment in 2050 is caused primarily by sea level rise and secondarily by flooding risk," the research stated in the Asia section.

 

Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, Guangdong, and Henan are among the most vulnerable regions in China to climate change. "This is due to the fact that these provinces are big, have considerable industrial, trade, residential, and commercial growth, and are vulnerable to coastal sea level rise and riverine and surface floods," according to the research.

In the United States, Florida, California, and Texas are among the most vulnerable to climate change.