According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), extreme weather, climate, and water-related phenomena have caused 11,778 documented catastrophes in the last half-century, killing two million people and incurring trillions of dollars in economic damage.
Over 90% of reported fatalities occurred in developing nations, while the cost of floods, storms, and wildfires has increased eight-fold since 1970, reaching 4.3 trillion US dollars (£3.5 trillion).
The number of deaths has decreased substantially since then, owing to improved early warning systems and disaster management, according to the WMO.
The United States alone lost 1.7 trillion dollars (£1.4 trillion), which accounts for 39% of the economic losses sustained between 1970 and 2021 – the years analysed in the WMO’s updated Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes.
However, it is least developed countries and small island developing states who have suffered a disproportionately high cost in relation to the size of their economies, the WMO said.
Asia accounted for 47% of all reported deaths worldwide – nearly one million – with tropical cyclones being the leading cause.
Bangladesh had the highest death toll in Asia with 520,758, attributed to 281 disasters.
In Europe, 166,492 people were killed in 1,784 disasters, accounting for 8% of reported deaths worldwide.
Extreme temperatures were the leading cause of reported deaths and floods were the leading cause of economic losses.
The WMO wants to ensure that early warning systems reach everyone on Earth by 2027 and has published its findings ahead of the World Meteorological Congress on May 22 to help speed up this process.
