Topline
Hurricanes, wildfires, droughts and deep freezes made 2021 one of the costliest — and deadliest — years for natural disasters in recent U.S. history, a federal report found Monday, as scientists and policymakers warn climate change could make extreme weather more common.
Key Facts
The United States faced 20 weather disasters with economic losses that totaled $1 billion last year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimated Monday, compared to an average of 7.4 annual billion-dollar disasters since 1980.
These colossal events generated about $145 billion in economic damage, almost triple NOAA’s annual average of $51.4 billion since 1980, making 2021 the third-costliest year for natural disasters in over four decades (NOAA’s figures are adjusted for inflation).
Some 688 Americans died in 2021’s disasters, the sixth-highest death toll since 1980 and nearly double the average of 361 deaths per year over that period — including 229 deaths in droughts in the western U.S. and 226 deaths during the February cold wave.
Tangent
Natural disasters worldwide caused around $280 billion in economic losses last year, up from $210 billion in 2020 and just $166 billion in 2019, German reinsurance firm Munich Re estimated Monday morning. It says Hurricane Ida wrought $65 billion in damage, and deadly summer flash floods in Western Europe left $54 billion in damage.
Key Background
Most experts fear human-driven climate change are making natural disasters more frequent and severe. Hurricanes could grow more powerful as the ocean gets hotter, higher temperatures are likely to bring more intense droughts, winter tornadoes and thunderstorms could become more common, and some scientists even think climate change is reshaping Arctic weather patterns and contributing to cold waves like Texas’ February freeze. Emissions of Earth-warming greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide hit a record high in 2020, and the planet is on track for “unprecedented” and irreversible changes to the climate over the coming decades, the United Nations said last year. Some world leaders reacted to this dire prediction by pushing to drastically slash greenhouse gas emissions and cut consumption of carbon dioxide-generating fossil fuels, but collective action has proven challenging.
Big Number
54.5 degrees Fahrenheit. That was the average temperature across the contiguous United States in 2021, exceeding the 20th century average by 2.5 degrees, NOAA said Monday. It was the country’s fourth-hottest year since NOAA’s records began 127 years ago. Last year was also exceptionally hot worldwide: July was Earth’s hottest month on record.
Crucial Quote
“We simply cannot adapt to runaway climate change,” Rachel Cleetus, an economist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a statement Monday reacting to NOAA’s report. “To curtail the worst climate and extreme weather disasters, policymakers must take drastic actions to rein in global warming emissions across all sectors of the economy during this consequential decade and invest in climate resilience.”
Further Reading
Hurricane Ida, Europe floods made 2021 costly for disasters (Associated Press)
‘Devastating’: World Leaders Respond To Climate Report With Calls For Urgency — And Anger Toward Rich Countries (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2022/01/10/us-natural-disasters-cost-145-billion-in-2021—3rd-costliest-year-on-record/