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September 2, 2021

Anna Murray 

According to a climate change report titled "The Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate, and Water Extremes (1970–2019)" published on September 2 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), climate change and increasingly extreme weather events have caused a surge in natural disasters over the past 50 years. Weather, climate, and water extremes have disproportionately impacted poorer countries, as evidenced by the agencies.

Based on disaster data from the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT), this indicator measures the global impacts of weather, climate, and water extremes from 1970 to 2019. Disaster statistics are compiled at the national, regional, and global levels for 50-year and decadal periods. Contributions from the UNDRR and WHO on relevant sectoral loss and damage statistics, challenges, and opportunities in recording and analyzing loss and damage data in light of the Sendai Framework agreement and the 2030 global agenda.

Natural disasters accounted for 50% of all disasters, 45 percent of deaths, and 74% of economic losses, according to the report. Over 11,000 disasters were caused by these hazards worldwide, resulting in over two million deaths and $3.64 trillion in economic losses. It is worth noting that developing countries accounted for more than 91% of all deaths.

A special section is then created to look into the disproportionate impact of tropical cyclones on disaster statistics and developing countries. For example, in 2017, Hurricane Harvey alone caused US$96.9 billion in damage in the United States, Hurricane Maria in the Caribbean caused US$69.4 billion in damage, and Hurricane Irma in Cape Verde caused US$58.2 billion in damage.

The report indicated climate and weather-related disasters surge five-fold over 50 years and recommended early warnings can save lives. In addition, it also called for the development of integrated and proactive policies to deal with slow-onset disasters like drought.