Weather disasters killed 2 million in last 50 years, UN agency says
Costs from the events also surged from $175.4 billion in the 1970s to $1.38 trillion in the 2010s when storms such as Harvey, Maria and Irma ripped through the United States.
People rest from cleaning up the debris of the flood disaster in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany in July this year. (AP) The number of disasters, such as floods and heatwaves, driven by climate change have increased fivefold over the past 50 years, killing more than 2 million people and costing $3.64 trillion in total losses, a UN agency said on Wednesday.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says its “Atlas” is the most comprehensive review of mortality and economic losses from weather, water and climate extremes ever produced.
It surveys some 11,000 disasters occurring between 1979-2019, including major catastrophes such as Ethiopia’s 1983 drought, which was the single most fatal event with 3,00,000 deaths, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that was the most costly, with losses of $163.61 billion.
Flood waters surround storm damaged homes as residents try to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida. (AP)
The report showed an accelerating trend, with the number of disasters increasing nearly fivefold from the 1970s to the most recent decade, adding to signs that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent due to global warming.
A firefighter pulls a water hose while battling the Caldor Fire near South Lake Tahoe, California. (AP)
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