At the World Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland, the new climate risk index of the development organization Germanwatch is presented. The annual index compares damage caused by extreme weather such as storms, heavy rain, heat and drought.
Climatologists warn that such events will occur more frequently in future due to global warming and become more violent. In the past year, the index had paid particular attention to the vulnerability of poorer countries. To what extent industrialized countries should not only support climate adaptation and protection, but also help with damage, is a point of contention in climate diplomacy.
At the 24th UN Climate Summit, representatives from nearly 200 countries are negotiating for two weeks on how to complete the historic decisions of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference with clear rules on implementation and review. In Paris, it had been decided to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, possibly even 1.5 degrees, compared to pre-industrial levels.
