Meteorological catastrophes in the US cost US $ 165 million in 2022

The main meteorological catastrophes that struck USA in 2022 they caused damages of at least 165,000 million dollars, according to a federal report published this Tuesday, which blames the effects of the climate change.

This is the third highest annual amount since the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began collecting this data in 1980. The costliest disaster of 2022 was Hurricane Ian, which devastated Florida in September, leaving $112.9 billion in damage.

The other two years with the highest damage costs were 2005 (Hurricane Katrina) and 2017 (Hurricanes Harvey and Irma).

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For the calculation, NOAA takes into account the destruction of buildings, public infrastructure (bridges, roads…), loss of company profits and even the effects on agriculture, but not indirect costs or healthcare costs.

After Ian, the second most expensive disaster of 2022 was the heat wave and drought that struck the western and central United States, costing more than $22 billion.

USA It suffered 18 weather catastrophes in 2022, which also makes it the third year with the highest number of inclement events, behind 2020 and 2021.

The report noted that the figures do not reflect the cost or total number of these weather and climate disasters last year, but only those that caused more than $1 billion in damage.

The concentration of major meteorological disasters in recent years points to “a new normal”warned NOAA.

Between 1980 and 2022, the annual average of disasters of this type was eight, but in the last five years it has shot up to 17.8.

Climate change “amplifies the frequency and intensity of certain types of meteorological events”, stressed NOAA, which cites droughts, longer fire seasons and rising sea levels worsening storm flooding.

According to an analysis by the research group Rhodium Group, greenhouse gas emissions in the United States increased slightly in 2022 compared to the previous year (+1.3%).

Globally, the last eight years have been the warmest. In all of them, pre-industrial temperatures rose by more than a degree, according to the annual report of the European program on climate change Copernicus, also published on Tuesday.

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Inaction

Globally, Hurricane Ian was by far the costliest, according to an analysis by Christian Aid. Last year there was also a severe drought in Europe (about 20 billion) and floods in China (12 billion).

These data revealthe financial cost of inaction on the climate crisis”, Patrick Watt, director of Christian Aid, said in a statement. Y “Behind these dollar numbers are millions of human stories of loss and suffering.”

The 18 2022 disasters identified by NOAA in the United States killed nearly 500 people, according to the report.

And the $165 billion falls short because it doesn’t include the costs of the extreme cold snap that hit the United States in December.

Over the years the largest disasters account for a growing proportion, according to the agency (about 85% in 2022).

Climate change is responsible for the greater frequency, but the increase in costs is partly due to population growth (and therefore the accumulation of goods) in risk areas, for example on the coast.

Source: AFP