Natural disasters cost 77 bn in EU in 20 years

(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, JUL 19 - (By Alessandra Briganti).
    Climate change and its dramatic effects such as the floods which have devastated northern Europe in the last few days are a concrete and measurable reality, with an impact on our lives, but also on our economies. In the period from 1995 to 2017, floods, storms, droughts and earthquakes caused negative economic shocks in the European Union with a resulting drop in gross domestic product, causing almost 77 billion euros in damage, of which 43.5 billion euros directly linked to natural disasters, and 33.4 billion euros stemming from the economic links with the areas hit by natural disasters. This snapshot, rather dark, is produced by the Titan research project, carried out by the European programme ESPON, which specializes in the analysis of regional policy.
    According to the researchers, central, eastern and southeastern Europe were the areas relatively most affected by natural disasters in economic terms. And Italy is among the most exposed countries, where Abruzzo and several provinces of Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio and Puglia stand out as having been most hit by the effects of climate change. It is no better in western Europe, where the biggest effects have been seen in areas of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, France and Spain.
    Storms and floods are, among the natural disasters observed, those which have left the heaviest economic effects and worst disasters behind them.Between 1981 and 2010, these phenomena caused 76% of the damage estimated by researchers, followed by droughts and earthquakes, each responsible for 24%. The regions most affected by natural disasters are not, however, necessarily those that suffer the most economic damage. France and Germany, for example, are the areas most affected by drought, but the greatest damage caused by this phenomenon is registered in Mediterranean countries (Italy and Spain above all) and central-eastern Europe (Romania and Hungary).
    "Natural disasters", the researchers write, "are not distributed equally among the various areas. While danger may be the same, their impact may vary considerably" according to the vulnerability of a determined place. This is a complex variant to define, made up of a multiplicity of factors - social, economic, demographic, environmental and relating to governance - that helps us understand why a natural disaster can turn into a catastrophe.
    According to the study, the most vulnerable and at-risk areas, also in the near future, are situated in the Baltic region and in eastern and southern Europe. Areas defined as "high" and "very high" vulnerability in which, overall, are concentrated 116 million people out of a total of 528 million, equal to 22% of the European population. Italy, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria are the countries that have the majority of population resident in very vulnerable areas, followed by Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Poland and France. (ANSA).