The 'Cop30' climate summit was an attempt to begin work on roadmaps to eliminate harmful gas emissions. Work on this will begin this year, led by Brazil, the host country of the 'Cop30' summit, during a special conference on harmful gas emissions to be held by Colombia in April. More than 80 countries supporting efforts to create a roadmap are expected to attend. The world is paying a heavy price for a crisis we already know how to solve, and these disasters are not 'natural,' they are an inevitable result of the continuous expansion of gas emissions and humanity's inaction in addressing this problem. While estimates of economic losses from disasters are typically highest in developed countries, where individuals and companies can afford insurance costs, the real losses in developing countries could be far greater. The director of the 'Power Shift Africa' research center, Mohammed Addu, says: 'While rich countries count the financial costs of disasters, millions of people in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean are counting the loss of lives, homes, and futures. World governments must stop ignoring reality in 2026 and start providing real support to those affected.' The list of the top ten disasters represents only a small fraction of the damage to the planet. The report also covered 10 other extreme weather events, each causing less than $1 billion in damage, and many less costly disasters were not included in either list. The report also focused on a series of typhoons that occurred in the Philippines, forcing about 1.4 million people to flee their homes, with damages amounting to about $5 billion. All regions of the world were affected, with disasters accumulating throughout the year. A drought in Iran threatens to drive the 10 million residents of the capital, Tehran, out of the city. Last April, floods hit the Democratic Republic of the Congo, followed by Nigeria in May, resulting in 700 deaths. Floods in Pakistan and India killed about 1,860 people and caused $6 billion in damage, with about seven million people affected in Pakistan alone. In the developed world, unprecedented wildfires swept the Iberian Peninsula, drought hit Canada, and Scotland recorded record heatwaves. At the United Nations Climate Summit, dubbed 'Cop30,' held last November in the Brazilian city of Belém, rich countries agreed to triple the amounts allocated to poor countries for adapting to extreme weather. However, tripling the amount to $120 billion by 2035 will not be nearly enough to fund the needs of developing nations. But the chief executive of Christian Aid, Patrick Watts, says: 'The bill for compensating for damage from extreme weather will continue to rise.' He added: 'These climate disasters are a warning of what is to come if we don't hurry to solve the carbon emissions crisis, and they also confirm the urgent need for adaptation, especially in the global South, where resources are scarce and people are more vulnerable to climate shocks.'
