UN warns of economic impact of extreme weather

The economic damage from weather-related disasters continues to rise, even as improvements in early warning have helped reduce the toll, the UN weather agency said on Monday.

In an updated report, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) counted nearly 12,000 weather, climate and water-related events over the past half century around the world, which have killed more than 2 million people and caused economic damage for 4 ,3 trillion dollars.

WMO’s harsh report comes as it opens its quadrennial congress among member countries, reiterating that more must be done to improve warning systems for extreme weather events by 2027.

“Economic losses have skyrocketed, but improved early warnings and coordinated disaster management have dramatically reduced the number of human casualties over the past half century,” the WMO said in a statement. The trend of increasing economic damage is expected to continue.

The Geneva-based agency has repeatedly warned about the impact of man-made climate change, noting that rising temperatures have increased the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including floods, hurricanes, cyclones, tidal waves heat and drought.

The WMO states that early warning systems have helped reduce weather-related deaths and other related catastrophes.

Most of the economic damage between 1970 and 2021 was recorded in the United States, totaling $1.7 trillion, while nine out of 10 deaths worldwide occurred in developing countries.

The economic impact, relative to gross domestic product, has been felt most in developing countries, according to the WMO.

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and activate notifications, or follow us on social networks: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.