Human-induced climate change has led to the deadliest weather events in the past two decades.
Severe tornadoes, heatwaves, droughts, and floods—including those in Europe—have caused over 570,000 deaths. All these events have intensified and occurred more frequently in a warmer atmosphere, according to the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group at Imperial College London.
WWA’s research demonstrates how scientists can detect the “footprint of climate change” in complex weather events, such as the recent deadly floods in Spain.
“Climate change is not a distant threat,” said Dr. Friederike Otto, co-founder and head of World Weather Attribution.
The team analyzed the 10 deadliest weather events in the International Disaster Database since 2004, which include:
- 1. Bangladesh, Cyclone Sidr in 2007 with 4,234 deaths;
- 2. Myanmar, Cyclone Nargis in 2008, 138,366 deaths;
- 3. Russia, heatwave in 2010, 55,736 deaths;
- 4. Somalia, drought from 2010 to 2012, 258,000 deaths;
- 5. Uttarakhand, India, floods in 2013, 6,054 deaths;
- 6. Philippines, Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, 7,354 deaths;
- 7. France, heatwave in 2015, 3,275 deaths;
- 8. Europe, heatwave in 2022, 53,542 deaths;
- 9. Europe, heatwave in 2023, 37,129 deaths;
- 10. Libya, Storm Daniel in 2023, 12,352 deaths.
Floods in Libya 2023 (Photo: AFP / Getty Images).
Climate change is likely to increase the frequency and severity of reduced rainfall and exacerbate drought conditions due to rising temperatures, leading to greater water loss in the soil, according to WWA.
WWA warns that the actual death toll is likely much higher, as millions of heat-related deaths are probably unreported in official statistics. Researchers state that findings indicate climate change “has become extremely dangerous as temperatures rise 1.3°C.”
Last week, the United Nations Environment Programme warned that the world is on track for global warming of between 2.6 – 3.1°C compared to pre-industrial levels, before humans began burning fossil fuels on a large scale.
In November, global leaders will meet in Baku, Azerbaijan, to attend COP29, the United Nations’ annual climate summit. These negotiations aim to establish a new fund to help developing countries transition away from fossil fuels—the main driver of climate change—and adapt to harsher weather in a warmer world.
At the COP27 climate summit in Egypt in 2022, a separate fund was agreed upon to specifically address losses and damages caused by climate change, losses that are too great to adapt to, such as loss of life. However, this fund is expected to start disbursing funds no earlier than 2025, and the amount pledged so far is only a small fraction of what is needed.
