Natural disasters - statistics & facts
Natural disasters are those adverse events resulting from natural processes of the Earth. Examples of such events include earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, droughts and fires. Many natural disasters are profoundly destructive. They leave in their wake a trail of injury, death, loss of livestock, property damage, and economic loss. The event with the highest death toll since 1980 was the Boxing Day tsunami in South East Asia in 2004 that claimed the lives of over 220,000 people. However, taking the whole 20th and 21st centuries under consideration, the deadliest earthquake was the Tangshan earthquake in 1976 in China, claiming more than 240,000 lives, some estimating the number of fatalities to have been around 650,000. In fact, four of the 10 most lethal eathquakes since 1900 happened in China.
The loss of human lives is unarguably the worst consequence of natural disasters, but they cost societies millions of dollars each year; insurances have to be paid out, buildings and other infrastructure must be repaired or rebuilt completely. In regards to economic damage, the most destructive natural disaster since 1980 was the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan which destroyed much of the Fukushima nuclear plant. Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gulf Coast of the United States in 2005, was the second costliest natural disaster during this period.
In recent years, there has been a number of both heatwaves and, partly as a result of this, wildfires throughout the world, and the frequency of these are expected to increase in the decades to come. Moreover, six of the nine hottest temperatures measured on the planet since measuring started have been recorded since 2015.
As the global warming is expected to increase the intensity of storms, heat waves, and droughts, countries in the Global South are expected to be hit the hardest by these events. Droughts will reduce the size of arable land, which will increase starvation and famines. Moreover, countries in the Global South are usually poorer than those in the North, and thus do not have the same capability of implementing protective measures. Asian countries top the list of predicted productivity loss due to excessive heat by 2030. Moreover, in 16 of the countries in Africa, the whole population is expected to be exposed to heat waves in 2050.
The loss of human lives is unarguably the worst consequence of natural disasters, but they cost societies millions of dollars each year; insurances have to be paid out, buildings and other infrastructure must be repaired or rebuilt completely. In regards to economic damage, the most destructive natural disaster since 1980 was the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan which destroyed much of the Fukushima nuclear plant. Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gulf Coast of the United States in 2005, was the second costliest natural disaster during this period.
The connection between global warming and natural disasters
Although natural disasters have been reoccurring through the history of the Earth, recent research has established the link between global warming and the increasing intensity of storms and droughts. Moreover, droughts and deforestation increase the risk of landslides after storms and heavy rainfalls. Furthermore, the practice of fracking has been linked to the frequency of earthquakes in areas where it was conducted.In recent years, there has been a number of both heatwaves and, partly as a result of this, wildfires throughout the world, and the frequency of these are expected to increase in the decades to come. Moreover, six of the nine hottest temperatures measured on the planet since measuring started have been recorded since 2015.
Countries and regions affected
Even though the United States of America recorded the highest number of natural disasters in 2022, the highest share of fatalities was registered in Europe, accounting for over half of the deaths worldwide. Meanwhile, the share of people affected was highest in Africa with 60 percent of those affected. That year, however, the single natural disaster that caused the highest number of fatalities was the heatwave that hit Europe in the summer, resulting in over 16,000 deaths.As the global warming is expected to increase the intensity of storms, heat waves, and droughts, countries in the Global South are expected to be hit the hardest by these events. Droughts will reduce the size of arable land, which will increase starvation and famines. Moreover, countries in the Global South are usually poorer than those in the North, and thus do not have the same capability of implementing protective measures. Asian countries top the list of predicted productivity loss due to excessive heat by 2030. Moreover, in 16 of the countries in Africa, the whole population is expected to be exposed to heat waves in 2050.
