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COVID-19 cost more in 2020 than the world's combined natural disasters in any of the past 20 years

  • Written by Ilan Noy, Chair in the Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
COVID-19 cost more in 2020 than the world's combined natural disasters in any of the past 20 yearswww.shutterstock.com

What have we lost because of the pandemic? According to our calculations, a lot — and many of the worst hit countries and regions are far from world media attention.

Typically, damage from any disaster is measured in separate categories: the number of fatalities and injuries it caused, and the financial damage it led to...

Read more: COVID-19 cost more in 2020 than the world's combined natural disasters in any of the past 20 years

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