ABSTRACT
The cost of natural disasters is constantly increasing. In the 1980s, it was approaching an average of 20 billion dollars per year. In the 1990s, the average more than tripled, up to 70 billion dollars. The fi gure is now close to 200 billion dollars, excluding infl ation. The most expensive year yet was 2011, with total losses of 380 billion dollars, 210
Costliest disasters for each region, by type of event, 1991-2014, in USD thousands
in USD billions, by decade Global cost of disasters since 1960
Evaluating the cost of environmental migration remains an extraordinarily diffi cult exercise. First of all, the direct costs have to be identifi ed, namely those linked to the reception and protection of migrants. Referring to the refugees placed under the protection of UNHCR, it fl uctuates between 30 and 160 dollars per refugee per year. The economic cost then has to be identifi ed, namely the damages suffered by migrants and the associated loss of productivity. Finally – on top of everything else – the culture, social and personal costs must be measured, which are often immeasurable in the truest sense of the term.
