According to an annual analysis of insurance payouts, the 10 most costly climate disasters of 2024 resulted in $229 billion in damages and claimed 2,000 lives. The United States, which accounted for three-quarters of the financial destruction, faces a stark climate reality as climate denier Donald Trump prepares to take office next month.
For the first time since this ranking began in 2018, two storms in a single year each caused over $50 billion in losses: Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which devastated the US in September and October.
The analysis comes at the close of another record-breaking year for global heat. Other disasters in the top 10 include Typhoon Yagi in Southeast Asia, which claimed at least 829 lives and caused $12.6 billion in damages, and Storm Boris in Europe, which killed 26 people and resulted in $5 billion in losses. Additionally, catastrophic floods in southern China, Bavaria, Valencia, and Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul added to the toll of destruction and human suffering. Read More
News Credit: The Guardian
Picture Credit: Rebecca Blackwell/AP