A new report from Christian Aid has revealed that 10 major climate disasters, including hurricanes and floods, caused $229 billion in damages and killed 2,000 people in 2024.
The Guardian reported that the Christian Aid, a coalition of British and Irish churches, used insurance claims data to compile the figures.
The most costly single disaster was Hurricane Milton, which struck the United States between October 9-13, causing $60 billion in damages and killing 25 people. Hurricane Hermine, which hit the United States, Mexico, and Cuba between September 25-28, caused $55 billion in damages and claimed 232 lives.
Other storms across the United States caused a combined $60 billion in damages and killed 88 people.
In China, floods caused by heavy rains between June 9 and July 11 killed 315 people and caused $15.6 billion in damages. Typhoon Yagi, which hit South Asia between September 1-9, killed over 829 people and caused $12.6 billion in damages.
Hurricane Beryl, which struck the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean between July 1-11, killed 70 people and caused $6.7 billion in damages.
Other significant disasters included a low-pressure storm that hit Central Europe between September 12-16, killing 26 people and causing $5.2 billion in damages. Floods in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul between April 28 and May 3 killed 183 people and caused $5 billion in damages. Floods in Bavaria, Germany, between June 1-7, killed 6 people and caused $4.45 billion in damages. Additionally, floods in the Valencia region of Spain on October 29 killed 226 people and caused $4.22 billion in damages.
Dr. Mariam Zakaria, a climate disaster researcher at Imperial College London, stated that it is clear that most of these disasters are linked to climate change. She also pointed out that the report does not include many other climate-related events such as droughts, heatwaves, wildfires, and floods, which are becoming more frequent and intense.
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