THOUSANDS of lives have been lost globally in 2023 due to climate disasters with Zimbabwe not excluded, Save the Children has said.
Natural disasters and cyclones among others have left thousands dead or displaced in low-income countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Madagascar and Tanzania.
In March 2019, Cyclone Idai struck Zimbabwe, killing 634 people and leaving a trail of destruction estimated at US$550 million.
In an exclusive report titled: 2023 in Review: Climate Disasters Claimed 12 000 Lives Globally, Save the Children said extreme weather events were becoming more frequent and severe as a result of the climate crisis.
“In around 240 such climate-related events recorded in 2023, international disaster database EM-DAT recorded a 60% rise in the number of deaths from landslides, a 278% increase in deaths from wildfires and a 340% increase in deaths from storms between 2022 and 2023,” the report read.
“The analysis clearly shows how the climate crisis disproportionately affects those who have done least to cause it and are least able to withstand its most damaging effects, further entrenching inequality, poverty, and displacement.”
Last year, climate justice activists urged African governments to find practical ways to root out climate injustice on the continent.
The leading humanitarian organisation for children said the deaths were a sharp reminder of the huge impact climate change has on children, families and communities.
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“Climate disasters leave children homeless, out of school, hungry and fearful that floods, storms and wildfires will take the lives of their loved ones.”
According to the European Union’s Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research, the world’s low-income countries have borne the brunt of the climate crisis in 2023.
