The costliest climate disasters of 2024

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By far the greatest damage caused by climate disasters took place on the territory of the USA. The ranking of the most costly climate disasters has been compiled since 2018. The biggest damage this year was caused by hurricanes Milton and Helene, which hit the US in September and October.

Typhoon Yagi, which swept through Southeast Asia, is another climate disaster that caused $12.6 billion in damage. Storm Boris raged again in Europe, leaving behind five billion dollars in damages. Other disasters include devastating floods in China, Bavaria, Valencia and Rio Grande do Sul.

Climatologists have even calculated how much more likely disasters were by burning fossil fuels. According to Dr. Mariam Zachariah who is a researcher in global weather attribution at Imperial College London most disasters show clear imprints of climate change. Extreme weather certainly causes suffering in all corners of the world. This report is just a picture of climate devastation in 2024. There are many more droughts, heat waves, wildfires and floods currently not included and they are becoming more frequent and intense.

The ranking is compiled at the end of the year by Christian Aid using data from insurance payouts. The actual cost of disasters is likely to be much higher because large numbers of people in poorer countries are uninsured.

Other climate disasters in 2024 had a lower immediate financial impact but would have incalculable domino costs in terms of deaths, destruction of ecosystems or social stability. These include floods in West Africa, landslides in the Philippines, drought in southern Africa and heat waves in Bangladesh, Gaza and East Antarctica.

Source:Guardian