extreme weather events News

US Climate Assessment Lays Out Growing Threats, Opportunities as Temperatures Rise

WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) – Climate change harms Americans physically, mentally and financially, often hitting those who have done the least to cause it, including Black people facing floods in the South and minorities enduring searing heat in cities, a …

US Sets Record for Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters in a Year, with 4 Months to Go

The deadly firestorm in Hawaii and Hurricane Idalia`s watery storm surge helped push the United States to a record for the number of weather disasters that cost $1 billion or more. And there`s still four months to go on what`s …

Climate Disasters Forcing Insurers to Rethink Low Premiums, Few Claims Model

When it comes to climate impacts, the frontline of the finance industry is insurance. Last year’s payout from damages caused by extreme-weather events totaled $120 billion—about the same as the economic output of Kenya. And that’s a 50% increase over …

Low Rate of Flood Insurance Cover Spells Danger as Climate Crisis Deepens

Insured losses from floods doubled to $80 billion globally during 2011-2020 compared to the previous decade, while insurance penetration lingered at just 18%, according to Swiss Re Institute’s economic insights report focused on floods. Climate change has led to an …

Pakistan Flooding Deaths Pass 1,000 in ‘Climate Catastrophe’

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Deaths from widespread flooding in Pakistan topped 1,000 since mid-June, officials said Sunday, as the country’s climate minister called the deadly monsoon season “a serious climate catastrophe.” Flash flooding from the heavy rains has washed away villages …

Recovery Underway in South Korea’s Rain-Hit Capital Area

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Cleanup and recovery efforts accelerated in South Korea’s greater capital region on Wednesday as skies cleared after two days of record-breaking rainfall that unleashed flash floods, damaged thousands of buildings and roads and killed at …

Reinsurers Point to Climate Change as Insured Catastrophe Losses Surpass $30B for Half Year

An earthquake in Japan, flooding in Australia and winter storms in Europe were among catastrophes that caused more than $30 billion in insured losses during the first half of 2022, according to preliminary estimates by two major reinsurers. Swiss Re …

US Power Companies Face Supply-Chain Crisis this Summer

U.S. power companies are facing supply crunches that may hamper their ability to keep the lights on as the nation heads into the heat of summer and the peak hurricane season. Extreme weather events such as storms, wildfires and drought …

Study: Climate Change a Major Factor in South Africa Floods

MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — The fatal floods that wreaked havoc in South Africa in mid-April this year have been attributed to human-caused climate change, a rapid analysis published Friday by a team of leading international scientists said. The study by …

Congress Seeks Amazon’s Labor-Practice Records After Tornado That Killed Six

A Congressional committee wants Amazon.com Inc. to share details about its labor practices during extreme weather events, following a tornado that killed six employees in December when it ripped through an Amazon facility in Edwardsville, Illinois. The letter from the …