The Economist (November 7)
El Niños’ “weather effects, both good and bad, are felt in many places” but rich countries gain more from mighty Niños, on balance, than they lose.” In contrast, poor countries are the big losers. Poor governments and individuals can seldom afford disaster insurance. “Since the poorest are least likely to recoup their losses from disasters linked to El Niño, minimising their losses needs to be the priority.” As countries like Ethiopia have shown, low cost measures carried out in advance can play a major role in alleviating the devastation that often accompanies El Niño.
Tags: Devastation, Disaster insurance, Disasters, El Niño, Ethiopia, Losses, Poor countries, Priority, Rich countries, Weather