The credit rating agency “Fitch” ranked Kuwait sixth globally in terms of the risks of exposure to extreme temperatures and drought, adding that the physical risks of climate change in the world represent an increasing threat to countries and governments.
According to Fitch, Kuwait ranked first in the world as the hottest country between 2011 and 2020, reports Al-Rai daily.
In the index of ability to adapt to climate change, it ranked 71 globally out of 121 countries, indicating that the lower the country’s rating, the less adaptive it was.
The agency said that countries’ current exposure to natural disasters and extreme weather events provides a strong indication of which countries are most vulnerable to the physical risks of climate change, adding that the countries with the highest current average annual temperatures are Bahrain, Qatar, Benin, UAE and Ghana (2011-2020), and that based on the hottest month, the hottest countries are Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
In general, the agency suggested that increasing temperatures would be more harmful to countries that are already experiencing high temperatures, and said: “For example, high temperatures make working in outdoor environments less productive or even unbearable, as well as increasing costs mitigate its effects.
In addition to the foregoing, the agency pointed out that Kuwait is among the countries most vulnerable to rising temperatures during the period between 2040 and 2059.
Based on certain models, Fitch expects that the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Bahrain will witness the largest increase in the number of extremely hot days (maximum temperature more than 40 degrees Celsius) by 2040-2059, with Kuwait experiencing the hottest months among them.
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