A new report by Christian Aid, Counting the Cost 2022, states that the top ten most financially costly climate disasters of the year have an impact of over USD 3 billion each.
Here's all you need to know.
The Top Ten Climate Disasters of 2022
Storm Eunice in Europe- The extratropical cyclone that hit Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom in February caused over USD 4.3 billion and led to 16 deaths.
East Australia Floods- Floods hit East Australia in February and March this year and caused USD 7.5 billion in damages, while also killing 27 people, and displacing over 60,000.
Floods in South Africa- The KwaZulu Natal and Eastern Cape floods that hit South Africa in April caused USD 3 billion, killed 459, and displaced over 40,000.
Pakistan Floods in June- The floods in Pakistan displaced over 7 million people. According to official records, 1,700 people also lost their lives. They also caused estimated damages of over USD 30 billion, out of which only USD 5.6 billion was covered by insurance.
Floods in China- The June to September floods in China caused over USD 12.3 billion in damages and displaced 239 people.
Drought in Europe- The European drought that lasted from June to Septmber costed over USD 20 billion.
Hurricane Fiona in September- Hurricane Fiona struck the Caribbean and Canada in September resulted in 13,000 displacements, over 25 deaths, and caused USD 3 billion in damages.
Hurricane Ian in September- Hurricane Ian, the tropical cyclone that struck the United States and Cuba, caused damages of over USD 100 billion. The hurricane ended up displacing 40,000 people and killing 130.
The droughts in Brazil and China that lasted throughout the year also caused USD 4 billion and USD 8.4 billion to the countries each.
Apart from these, the floods in Malaysia, the tropical storms in Southeast Africa, the heatwave and drought in Europe, the wildfire in Chile, the floods in Brazil, the heatwaves in the Arctic, Antarctica, India, Pakistan, and the droughts and cyclones in other places, all led to billions worth of damages.
Resolutions at COP27 Need to be Implemented
The report highlighted that these climate disasters underline the urgent need to provide the financial support promised to developing countries at COP27. All these events didn’t just cause financial loss but also led to displacement of millions, food insecurity, drought, loss of lives.
Having ten separate climate disasters in the last year that each cost more than $3 billion points to the financial cost of inaction on the climate crisis. But behind the dollar figures lie millions of stories of human loss and suffering. Without major cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, this human and financial toll will only increase.Patrick Watt, Christian Aid CEO
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