Global natural disasters may double in next decade - WWF

© Photo : Anatoly Kukaev Global natural disasters may double in next decade - WWF
Global natural disasters may double in next decade - WWF - Sputnik International
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The number of natural disasters in the world may double during the next 10 to 15 years, the head of WWF Russia's climate program said on Wednesday.

The number of natural disasters in the world may double during the next 10 to 15 years, the head of WWF Russia's climate program said on Wednesday.

Climate change will lead to a growth in a power and a number of hazardous meteorological events in the world, Alexei Kokorin said on the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction.

"There is a fear that this [the number of dangerous meteorological phenomena] will even double, that it will lead to a large number of casualties, especially bearing in mind that people have begun to live in more dangerous places, in particular, very close to the sea level," Kokorkin said.

Although the number of natural non-metrological disasters (such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis) in the world has remained steady, the number of people affected is growing every year, he said, adding that millions are already suffering, with Southeast Asia the worst-hit region.

In 1988, the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Program established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which brought together several thousand scientists.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change entered into force in 1994. One hundred and ninety countries have joined it since then. The document determines the scope of the international partnership to deal with the issue, whose first achievement was the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which demands a reduction in air pollution caused by methane, carbon dioxide and other gases.

Russia ratified the protocol along with another 166 countries.

Between 1990 and 1999 the world marked the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction on the second Wednesday of October by the General Assembly's Resolution of December 22, 1989. In 2001, the General Assembly decided to maintain this tradition "to promote a global culture of natural disaster reduction, including disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness."

MOSCOW, October 13 (RIA Novosti)

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