May 30, 2013
According to a new report--Natural Catastrophes in 2012 Dominated by U.S. Weather Extremes--published Wednesday by the environmental research organization World Watch Institute, of the enormous global cost of $170 billion due to natural catastrophes last year, the United States alone accounted for 69 percent of overall losses.
Focusing specifically on the "insured losses" as a result of these events, the report found that at 92 percent, the United States accounted for nearly all of the $70 billion global hit.
The pattern of crazy weather extremes--referred to as "weather whiplash"--has dominated US forecasts in recent years and caused the country to pay a high toll.
The report notes specifically that,
with regard to insured losses, a particularly striking feature in the climatological events category was that droughts accounted for 28 percent. This is well above the long-term average of 7 percent and was due to the severe drought that primarily afflicted the US Midwest during the year, causing immense agricultural losses.
The extreme drought that plagued much of the US throughout 2012, and which has continued into this year, was alone responsible for overall losses of $20 billion.
Globally, 93 percent of the 905 natural catastrophes in 2012 were weather-related disasters and, according to the report, their devastation is growing. "Since 1980, geophysical events have been more or less stable," they write, "whereas weather-related events have increased 2.8- to 3.6-fold."
Further, of the overall global losses due to natural catastrophes, in 2012 nearly 60 percent were attributable to increasingly severe storms, such as Sandy, compared with the long-term average of 39 percent.
_____________________
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
According to a new report--Natural Catastrophes in 2012 Dominated by U.S. Weather Extremes--published Wednesday by the environmental research organization World Watch Institute, of the enormous global cost of $170 billion due to natural catastrophes last year, the United States alone accounted for 69 percent of overall losses.
Focusing specifically on the "insured losses" as a result of these events, the report found that at 92 percent, the United States accounted for nearly all of the $70 billion global hit.
The pattern of crazy weather extremes--referred to as "weather whiplash"--has dominated US forecasts in recent years and caused the country to pay a high toll.
The report notes specifically that,
with regard to insured losses, a particularly striking feature in the climatological events category was that droughts accounted for 28 percent. This is well above the long-term average of 7 percent and was due to the severe drought that primarily afflicted the US Midwest during the year, causing immense agricultural losses.
The extreme drought that plagued much of the US throughout 2012, and which has continued into this year, was alone responsible for overall losses of $20 billion.
Globally, 93 percent of the 905 natural catastrophes in 2012 were weather-related disasters and, according to the report, their devastation is growing. "Since 1980, geophysical events have been more or less stable," they write, "whereas weather-related events have increased 2.8- to 3.6-fold."
Further, of the overall global losses due to natural catastrophes, in 2012 nearly 60 percent were attributable to increasingly severe storms, such as Sandy, compared with the long-term average of 39 percent.
_____________________
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
According to a new report--Natural Catastrophes in 2012 Dominated by U.S. Weather Extremes--published Wednesday by the environmental research organization World Watch Institute, of the enormous global cost of $170 billion due to natural catastrophes last year, the United States alone accounted for 69 percent of overall losses.
Focusing specifically on the "insured losses" as a result of these events, the report found that at 92 percent, the United States accounted for nearly all of the $70 billion global hit.
The pattern of crazy weather extremes--referred to as "weather whiplash"--has dominated US forecasts in recent years and caused the country to pay a high toll.
The report notes specifically that,
with regard to insured losses, a particularly striking feature in the climatological events category was that droughts accounted for 28 percent. This is well above the long-term average of 7 percent and was due to the severe drought that primarily afflicted the US Midwest during the year, causing immense agricultural losses.
The extreme drought that plagued much of the US throughout 2012, and which has continued into this year, was alone responsible for overall losses of $20 billion.
Globally, 93 percent of the 905 natural catastrophes in 2012 were weather-related disasters and, according to the report, their devastation is growing. "Since 1980, geophysical events have been more or less stable," they write, "whereas weather-related events have increased 2.8- to 3.6-fold."
Further, of the overall global losses due to natural catastrophes, in 2012 nearly 60 percent were attributable to increasingly severe storms, such as Sandy, compared with the long-term average of 39 percent.
_____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.