10 deadliest extreme events of past 20 yrs worsened by climate change

Climate change worsened the 10 deadliest extreme events of the past 20 years. A World Weather Attribution (WWA) study released Thursday found human-caused climate change intensified all ten events. The study commemorates the scientific group’s 2014 formation to clarify climate change’s role in extreme events. To mark its 10th anniversary, World Weather Attribution looked at the past decade and extreme events since 2004, when the first attribution study showed climate change worsened a heatwave in Europe that killed 70,000 people. Across the ten deadliest events in the past 20 years, 359,504 deaths have been officially recorded—a number that could rise to over 570,000, the researchers explain. Over 500 attribution studies have been done. They want to determine how much climate change has affected the frequency of these events. Here are ten deadliest recent extreme weather events – all exacerbated by climate change.

Cyclone Sidr, Bangladesh, 2007

Cyclone Sidr, which hit Bangladesh in 2007, caused destruction and killed 4,234 people. Scientists at World Weather Attribution cite attribution studies from the time that demonstrate how climate change has increased precipitation likelihood and intensity, as well as increased the likelihood of strong winds by 16% and increased their intensity (2.4 meters per second). Climate change was also responsible for a 0.69°C increase in sea surface temperatures, contributing to more intense storms. Photo credit: jamesnudes.getarchive.net

Cyclone Nargis, Burma, 2008

Cyclone Nargis, which hit southern Burma in 2008, was one of the deadliest natural disasters: 138,366 people died. Climate change increased precipitation likelihood and intensity and strong winds—5.2 meters per second stronger than a planet without global warming. Warming of the sea surface became 47% more likely, making it 0.66°C warmer. Analyzing the three deadliest cyclones of this century — Sidr, Nargis, and Haiyan (2013)—the scientists note that “quantifying the role of climate change in associated precipitation is highly uncertain.” However, climate change "increased in all cases" the "destructive" high wind speeds and sea surface temperatures that contribute to storm intensification. Photo credit: Foreign and Commonwealth

Heat wave in Russia, 2010

An extreme heat wave that struck western Russia in 2010 claimed the lives of 55,736 people. Recorded temperatures were up to 4.3°C warmer due to the influence of climate change. The scientists add that “the role of climate change in the deadly 2010 Russian heatwave has likely been underestimated, as no studies included observed data.” Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/Artem Svetlov

Drought in Somalia, 2010

The 2010–2011 East Africa drought, especially in Somalia, caused over 250,000 deaths, half of them children under five, with 955,000 fleeing to nearby countries. Despite this, the EM-DAT database lists only 20,000 deaths, likely due to early government reports. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) commissioned a study to estimate 258,000 deaths. This discrepancy highlights the database’s incompleteness, especially for heatwaves outside Europe. We don’t know how many die in heatwaves in the hottest, most populous, and poorest regions, particularly in Africa. Rising temperatures likely worsened the Somalia drought, with climate change making March to May’s low rainfall more likely and intense. Photo credit: UN Photo/Stuart Price

Typhoon Haiyan, Philippines, 2013

Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines in 2013, caused 7,354 deaths and extensive rebuilding. Climate change increased precipitation, wind speeds, and sea surface temperatures. WWA scientists note that climate change “affects tropical cyclones and their impacts differently,” but it is possible “to analyze using multiple approaches to study various facets of tropical cyclone effects, including precipitation, wind speed, sea surface temperature and potential intensity.” Photo credit: UNHCR/R. Rocamora

Floods in Uttarakhand, India, 2013

The floods that affected the Uttarakhand region of India in 2013 caused the death of 6,054 people. Precipitation was twice as likely and 11 per cent more intense due to climate change, explain researchers at World Weather Attribution. Photo credit: INDIAN ARMY

Heatwave in France, 2015

In 2015, a heat wave hit France, causing the death of 3,275 people. According to attribution studies, rising temperatures were twice as likely due to climate change. Photo credit: GB aka INSTANT VANTAGE

Heatwaves in Europe, 2022

Portugal is part of the group of European countries that, in 2022, were hit by a heat wave that caused a total of 53,542 deaths.In Germany, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania and the UK, abnormally high temperatures when looking at daily values ​​were 17 times more likely to be due to climate change, with up to 3.6°C of that temperature difference attributable to climate change. Photo credit: rawpixel.com

Heatwaves in Europe, 2023

In summer 2023, European countries faced heat waves causing 37,129 deaths in Germany, Spain, France, Greece, Italy,, and Romania. Attribution studies concluded: the high temperatures in the western Mediterranean region would be impossible without climate change, with 3.5°C of that difference due to global warming. In Southern Europe, high temperatures were at least a thousand times more likely due to climate change, with up to 3.2°C of this increase attributable to climate change. Photo credit: rawpixel.com

Storm Daniel , Libya, 2023

Last year, Storm Daniel hit Libya hard, leaving 12,352 dead. Climate change made the 10 deadliest extreme events of the previous 20 years worse. Studies show precipitation is more likely and intense due to climate change. However, while observations show increased precipitation, some climate models predict only droughts, especially in the Mediterranean, underestimating storm and flood risks. The Libya case highlights the need to adapt to climate change. Most deaths happened when two dams collapsed overnight. Researchers warn that ageing dam infrastructure globally poses a growing risk. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons