Unveiling extensive and intensive disaster risks: an in-depth analysis of Asia’s vulnerability

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Asian region has significant susceptibility to the convergence of environmental hazard-related disaster risks, resulting in the recurring occurrence of intensive and impactful disasters. This study conducts a comprehensive examination of the extensive risks, characterised by high frequency and low magnitude, and intensive risks, characterised by low frequency and high magnitude, encountered by the most impacted nations in Asia, identified based on their ranking in the Global Climate Risk Index. Utilising data from the EM-DAT disaster database spanning the years 1980 to 2022, the study finds that in terms of extensive, intensive, and combined risks India stands at the top, followed by the Philippines and Bangladesh. However, in terms of casualties, Bangladesh stood at the top followed by Myanmar and India. Furthermore, the study reveals that there is an inverse relationship between income level and casualties. Overall, the study underscores the critical importance of conducting risk assessments so that robust disaster risk management strategies can effectively reduce losses.