NEWS.com.au - AFP | AAP
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| California wildfires cost the US billions of dollars with the global
cost of climate-linked disasters topping $100bn. Picture: AP Photo |
From floods to extreme heat, 10 of the worst
climate-linked disasters in 2018 caused at least $A120.8 billion worth
of damage, says a study released by the charity Christian Aid.
Extreme
weather driven by climate change hit every populated continent this
year, the British relief organisation says, warning urgent action is
needed to combat global warming.
“This report shows that for many
people, climate change is having devastating impacts on their lives and
livelihoods right now,” said Kat Kramer, who heads Christian Aid’s work
on climate issues, in a statement on Thursday.
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Damage caused by Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Florida on October 12, 2018. Picture: AFP
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Her team compiled a list of 10 climate-linked disasters and used open
source data, official estimates and assessments from insurance firms to
determine the cost of each.
Topping the list were hurricanes
Florence and Michael, which caused an estimated $A24 billion and $A21
billion worth of damage, respectively.
Michael was the strongest
storm to hit the continental United States since 1969, and killed 45
people in the US and at least 13 in Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador.
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Hurricane Florence slams North Carolina doing billions of dollars damage. Picture: AP
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This month saw nations agree to a common rule book to implement the
2015 Paris climate accord, in which countries committed to limiting
global temperature rises to well below two degrees Celsius.
But
major polluters including the United States and Saudi Arabia disputed a
landmark scientific report released in October that suggested nations
must slash fossil fuel use by nearly half in a little over a decade in
order to achieve the Paris goals.
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The Trump administration announced a proposal to
weaken fuel-efficiency requirements for the nation's cars and trucks.
Picture: Getty Images/AFP
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“The only answer is for immediate global efforts to reverse the rise in
emissions, to put the world on course for carbon neutrality by the
middle of the century,” Ms Kramer told AFP.
The pledges finalised at the COP24 talks in Poland this month set Earth
on a path towards 3C warming — enough to displace hundreds of millions
and tug at the fabric of society.
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Recent floods in Nigeria displaced more than 200,000 people according to the Red Cross. Picture: AFP
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A woman scavenges in a slum of Nairobi, Kenya.
Overconsumption is leading to climate change and climate-related
disasters which cost the planet $100bn in 2018. Picture: AP Photo
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Ms Kramer said governments were still beholden to domestic audiences
who rely on dirty energy to heat their homes and power their cars.
“Since
much of the public’s day-to-day life is based around using fossil
fuels, governments are often unwilling to make the changes that would be
needed to cut emissions.”
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Climate-linked disasters such as the California fires
are expected to cause growing losses to American infrastructure and
property and impede the rate of economic growth. Picture: AFP
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2018 saw at least one major climate-induced disaster on every inhabited continent on Earth.
Christian
Aid found that four events — including the California wildfires,
drought in southern Europe and widespread flooding in Japan — cost at
least $A10 billion each.
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Drought in Southern Europe caused rare and historic fires near Athens, which killed 20 people. Picture: AFP
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Japan was badly hit by severe floods over the summer, followed by the
powerful Typhoon Jebi in the (northern) autumn, which together caused
more than $A12 billion in damages, said the report.
Experts say a
warming world will lead to sweltering heatwaves, more extreme rainfall,
shrinking harvests and worsening water shortages, causing both monetary
losses and human misery.
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A powerful typhoon battered Japan causing billions of dollars in damage. Picture: AFP
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The aftermath of Typhoon Mangkhut in Hong Kong, which
also caused damage in the Philippines and China. Picture: Lam Yik
Fei/Getty Images
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Almost 200 nations are aiming to limit the rise in average world
temperatures under the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, though some warn
progress to meet targets has been slow.
The 20 warmest years on
record have been within the past 22 years, the United Nations said last
month, with 2018 on track to be the fourth hottest.
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