Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2026 | 14 Nov 2025

Source: TH 

Why in News? 

The Germanwatch Climate Risk Index 2026 report, presented at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, ranks India as the 9^th most affected country by extreme weather events (EWEs)  over the past three decades (1995-2024).

What are the Key Findings of the Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2026 Report? 

• Globally Most Affected Countries: The top 10 CRI countries are all in the Global South, highlighting unequal climate vulnerability.  
  • High-risk countries like Dominica, Myanmar, Honduras, and Libya have faced extreme events, e.g., Cyclone Nargis (2008) in Myanmar killed around 1,40,000 people. 
  • Between 1995–2024, 9,700 extreme weather events worldwide caused over 832,000 deaths and USD 4.5 trillion in economic losses.

• India’s Vulnerability: India's position in the CRI 2026 emphasizes its growing vulnerability to climate-related disasters. In 2024, India ranked 15th among countries most affected by climate change.  
  • Over three decades, 430 extreme weather  events (EWEs) caused USD 170 billion losses, affected 1 billion people, led to 80,000+ deaths, placing India under “continuous threats” with Philippines, Nicaragua, and Haiti. 
  • India ranked 3rd globally in 2024 for the number of people affected by extreme weather, after Bangladesh and the Philippines. 
• Specific EWEs: In 2024, floods were the deadliest globally (~50 million affected), followed by heatwaves (~33 million) and droughts (~29 million); India’s monsoon adversely affected 8 million people. 
  • CRI ranks countries by extreme weather impacts, focusing on rapid onset events like floods, storms, heatwaves, wildfires, glacial lake outbursts, and excluding slow onset events such as rising temperatures, sea-level rise, and ocean acidification. 

• Long-Term Vulnerability: Repeated disasters cause accumulating losses, keeping India’s 30-year CRI ranking high, as continuous exposure hinders recovery and raises long-term socio-economic risk.  

What are the Impacts of Climate Change on India? 

• Water Crisis: 
  • Melting Glaciers: Rising temperatures are shrinking Himalayan glaciers, threatening river flows of the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Indus. 
  • Depleting Groundwater: Groundwater use rose from ~10–20 km³ to 240–260 km³ over 50 years; Gangetic aquifers are falling ~4 cm/year, making many perennial rivers seasonal. 
  • Water Quality Degradation: Groundwater pumping brings arsenic contamination, ranking India 120th of 122 countries on the global water quality index. 
• Disruption in Mountain Ecosystems:  
  • Increased Disasters: Events like GLOFs (e.g., 2023 Sikkim disaster), cloudbursts, and forest fires are becoming more frequent. 
  • Accelerated Melting: Black carbon from vehicles and fossil fuel use, especially along the Char Dham route, speeds up Himalayan ice melt. 
  • Threat to Biodiversity: The Himalayas, one of India’s four biodiversity hotspots (with the Western Ghats, Sundaland, and Indo-Burma), face severe ecological stress. 
• Threat to Coastal Areas:  
  • Rising Sea Levels: Global seas are rising 3.6 mm/year, with Mumbai seeing a 4.44 cm rise (1987–2021); projections show a 0.4–0.8 m rise by 2100, endangering coastal cities. 
  • Salinisation: Seawater intrusion is damaging farmland and freshwater, affecting over 250 million coastal residents. 
  • Loss of Natural Defenses: Mangroves and coral reefs, vital cyclone and erosion buffers, are increasingly at risk. 
• Socio-Economic Costs:  
  • Economic Losses: The World Bank warns the climate crisis could cut India’s GDP by 6.4–10% by 2100 and push 50 million into poverty. 
  • Agricultural Distress: Erratic weather and water scarcity are lowering farm productivity and threatening food security. 
  • Public Health Risks: The urban heat-island effect heightens heat stress and health risks in densely populated slums.  

What Measures should India Take to Address the Impacts of Climate Change? 

• Climate Change Mitigation: Drastically cut emissions to limit warming to 1.5°C and extreme weather, support National Adaptation Plans, and secure USD 300 billion by 2035 for climate adaptation and mitigation.  
• Securing Water Resources: India must renew its National Water Policy 2012 for sustainable aquifer management and climate-resilient farming using drip irrigation and zero-tillage, while reviving traditional water systems and scaling up artificial recharge through pits, shafts, and trenches. 
• Build Coastal Resilience: Restore mangrove forests and coral reefs as natural barriers. Develop early-warning systems for cyclones and storm surges, and create social safety nets for affected communities. 
• Decarbonize Economy: Ramp up solar and wind capacity to exceed 500 GW of non-fossil fuel power by 2030, while promoting green hydrogen and battery storage. 
  • Promote sustainable urbanization with green buildings, urban greenery, and permeable surfaces, while enforcing eco-friendly land-use policies to curb deforestation and ensure sustainability. 
• Governance and Social Measures: Mainstream climate adaptation in all development planning, promote community-led resource management through participatory models like Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari, and boost green R&D in technologies, carbon capture, and resilient crops. 

Conclusion 

The CRI 2026 underscores India’s high vulnerability to extreme weather events and long-term climate risks, affecting water, ecosystems, coasts, and socio-economic stability. Urgent measures in adaptation, water management, coastal resilience, decarbonization, and sustainable governance are essential to mitigate impacts, protect livelihoods, and ensure climate-resilient development.