Nigeria, the US, Australia, Pakistan, and others have lost $173.2 billion to climate change-related disasters, according to a new meteorological report validating calls by experts that the world needs aggressive investment in cleaner sources of energy.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in its report titled “State of the Global Climate 2022,” revealed that drought, flooding, and hurricanes cost these countries property damages and economic losses valued at over $173 billion.
Flooding and heavy rain
Many parts of the Sahel, particularly its eastern half, saw significant flooding during the monsoon season, especially towards its end. Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and the southern half of Sudan were particularly affected.
According to the report, the flooding was exacerbated in Nigeria when heavy local rains in October fell as floodwaters arrived from upstream.
“Over the course of the season, 603 deaths in Nigeria and 159 in Niger were attributed to flooding, with $4.2 billion in reported economic losses in Nigeria. Over 250 000 people were displaced in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, between October and December.
“While rainfall in South Sudan, where prolonged flooding occurred in 2020 and 2021, was near or below normal, extensive flooding continued as a result of flows from upstream,” the report revealed.
In East Africa, rainfall has been below average in five consecutive wet seasons, the longest such sequence in 40 years. As of August 2022, an estimated 37 million people faced acute food insecurity across the region, under the effects of the drought and other shocks.
Pakistan experienced exceptional flooding during the monsoon season, peaking in late August. July (181 percent above normal) and August (243 percent above normal) were each the wettest on record nationally.
Sindh province was particularly badly affected, with Balochistan also hard-hit. Preliminary satellite data indicated that 75,000 km2, or 9 percent of Pakistan’s area, were inundated at some stage during August. Adjacent areas of Afghanistan were also affected.
The WMO said that over 1,700 deaths were reported in Pakistan and over 2 million dwellings were damaged or destroyed, with over 33 million people affected in some way.
“Crop and livestock losses were also severe, as the floods affected much of the country’s agricultural land. Total damage and economic losses were assessed at $30 billion.
“The impacts of the floods were broadly similar to those of 2010. There was also significant flooding in India at various stages during the monsoon season, particularly in the north-east in June, with over 700 deaths reported during the season from flooding and landslides, and a further 900 from lightning,” the report said.
Also, there was flooding in eastern Australia on numerous occasions during the year. The most severe floods occurred in late February and early March, affecting eastern coastal areas in south-east Queensland, northern New South Wales, and the area around Sydney.
According to the report, the worst flooding was south of Brisbane, where the Wilsons River exceeded previous record levels by about 2 meters.
“In western Sydney, the Hawkesbury-Nepean Rivers reached their highest level since 1978. Twenty-two deaths were reported, and insured losses were near $4 billion.
“The Sydney region also had major flooding in early July. There was further major flooding in many parts of the south-east quarter of Australia in the final quarter of the year, particularly in the rivers of the Murray-Darling basin,” it revealed.
New South Wales and Victoria both had their wettest springs on record. Flooding continued into early 2023 in the lower Murray-Darling basin as water drained slowly downstream, with some parts of the Murray River in South Australia reaching their highest peak since 1956.
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“Sydney received 2530mm of rain for the year, well above its previous full-year record of 2194 mm.”
In South America, the eastern Brazilian city of Petropolis experienced extreme rainfall and flash flooding twice in the space of a few weeks, on February 15 and March 20.
In the February event, 250 mm of rain fell in three hours, while in March, 415 mm fell in 10 hours. The study showed that two hundred and thirty deaths were reported in the February event, many of them as a result of landslides.
“North-east Brazil also had significant flooding in May, while later in the year, flooding affected many parts of Venezuela after heavy rains in October and November.
“In the worst single incident, 50 deaths were reported with 56 people missing after a landslide in Tejeras on October 8, 2022.”
Tropical cyclones
Tropical cyclone activity was near or below average in most regions in 2022, except for the South Indian Ocean, which had an active season overall despite an unusually late start.
The WMO said that the North Atlantic hurricane season had an inactive start compared with recent years but had two major landfalls in September. Hurricane Ian crossed western Cuba before intensifying to category 4 and making landfall in southwest Florida on September 28.
“Ian brought extensive storm-surge inundation in low-lying coastal areas and river flooding further north-east, where four-day rainfall exceeded 500 mm around Daytona Beach.
“Sustained 10-minute winds of 241km per hour made Ian the fourth strongest landfall on record in Florida,” the organization said.
According to the study, economic losses from Ian in the United States were assessed at $113 billion, making it the third most costly tropical cyclone on record, while with 152 deaths, it caused the greatest loss of life in a Florida tropical cyclone since the 1930s.
Heat, drought, and wildfires
According to the WMO, China had the most extensive and long-lasting heatwave since
national records began, extending from mid-June to the end of August and resulting in the hottest summer on record by a margin of more than 0.5 °C.
“It was also the second-driest summer on record, with most of the southern half of China (apart from Guangdong province) having seasonal rainfall 20 percent to 50 percent below average.”
Meanwhile, drought intensified in the Greater Horn of Africa region, focusing on Kenya, Somalia, and southern Ethiopia.
WMO revealed that rainfall was well below average across the region in the March–May and October–December rainy seasons, the fourth and fifth consecutive poor wet seasons
since the second half of 2020, the longest such sequence in 40 years, with major impacts on
agriculture and food security.
Severe storms
The report revealed that an exceptional derecho affected parts of southern and central Europe on August 18, bringing severe winds and heavy rainfall on a track that extended 1600 km from the Balearic Islands (Spain) across Corsica (France), Italy, Slovenia, Austria, and Czechia.
According to the WMO, the system reached its peak severity over Corsica, where wind gusts of 225 km per hour were recorded, the strongest reliably observed wind gust on record for metropolitan France. Five deaths were reported.
Cold extremes
Few significant cold records were set globally in 2022. In late December, an intense cold outbreak affected many parts of the United States and Canada.
WMO reported that intense blizzards affected Buffalo and surrounding areas, resulting in significant loss of life.
Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the WMO, said that while emissions continue to rise and the climate continues to change, vulnerable populations continue to be gravely impacted by extreme weather and climate events.
In a recent report, the International Renewable Energy Association said that although global investment in energy transition technologies reached a new record of USD 1.3 trillion in 2022, yearly investments must more than quadruple to over USD 5 trillion to stay on the 1.5°C pathway.
By 2030, cumulative investments must amount to USD 44 trillion, with transition technologies representing 80 percent of the total, or USD 35 trillion, prioritising efficiency, electrification, grid expansion, and flexibility. This will help to mitigate future climate-related disasters.
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