United Nations, July 26 (Agency) A UN development body warned on Tuesday that the region has a limited time to safeguard its hard-earned progress, as climate change intensifies disasters and affects billions of people. According to a new report from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in 2022 alone, over 140 disasters struck the region, leading to over 7,500 deaths, with 64 million people impacted, and caused economic damage estimated at 57 billion U.S. dollars.
If global warming reaches a 2 degrees Celsius scenario, the ESCAP projects a significant rise in both fatalities and potential economic losses, surpassing 1 trillion dollars, unless a sufficient response is implemented. The Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2023, ESCAP’s flagship study on the changing patterns of disasters, their impacts, and building resilience, convenes governments, experts and stakeholders in the region.ESCAP is one of the United Nations’ five regional commissions focused on development in the region that is home to nearly two-thirds of the world’s population.