From the US to Western Europe to New Zealand — natural disasters which wreaked havoc in the last 6 months
Vaamanaa Sethi
- The number of disasters exacerbated by climate change has cost the world around $210 billion in damages last year, according to CNBC.
- According to the World Economic Forum, 7,348 disaster events have been recorded in the past 20 years, which have claimed the lives of 1.23 million people.
- The only way to curb the global rise in temperature is by cutting the emissions swiftly and deeply, further says the NWF report.
- A look back at some of the natural disasters that hit the different parts of the globe in the last six months.
The number of disasters exacerbated by climate change has cost the world around $210 billion in damages last year, according to CNBC.
Extreme weather conditions have dramatically increased in the past 20 years and will further create havoc in the world, warns the United Nations (UN).
According to the World Economic Forum, 7,348 disaster events have been recorded in the past 20 years, which have claimed the lives of 1.23 million people. During the period between 2000-2019, China reported 577 disasters — the highest, followed by the US (467) and India (321).
The biggest reason behind increasing disasters is changing climatic conditions, especially the warming of global temperatures. A report by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) says that if heat emissions continue to grow, 74% of the world’s population will be exposed to the heat waves hot enough to kill.
The only way to curb the global rise in temperature is by cutting the emissions swiftly and deeply, further says the NWF report.
A look back at some of the natural disasters that hit the different parts of the globe in the last six months —
Oregon Wildfire
The largest active blaze in the US, erupted on July 6, 2021 due to lightning. It is one of more than 80 major fires raging across 13 states in the US, spurred due to headwinds and high winds. The fire scorched more than 4,08,930 acres as of 25 July. The record breaking heat wave also claimed 107 lives in Oregon.
New Zealand floods
State of emergency was announced in the states -- Canterbury and Wellington after the west coast was severely hit by flooding due to heavy rains and storms on July 18, 2021. More than 2,000 residents were evacuated after the heavy rain caused the rivers to break their banks.
China floods
On July 21, China witnessed record breaking rainfall, which even flooded the railway tunnels in the country. The rain led to evacuation of 200,000 people and widespread damage to property worth $10 billion, according to news agency PTI. The torrential rains claimed 56 lives with five people missing.
Western European floods
More than 100 people died due to flooding in Germany, which started on July 16. Around 20 people died in Belgium while the Netherlands and Luxembourg were also affected badly. The region was devastated due to heavy rainfall which eventually led to rivers breaking their banks.
Maharashtra floods
Maharashtra, a state in India, witnessed the highest rainfall in 40 years on July 22, which affected 13 districts. Around 251 people died, while 100 went missing due to heavy landslides and floods. Over 3,75,000 people were evacuated from the affected regions and the flooding led to severe property damages including bridges which were submerged.
Australia floods
On March 18, the east coast of Australia witnessed extreme rainfall, which led to widespread flooding in New South Wales, also affecting the north coast region and Sydney. Over 40,000 people were evacuated due to the floods in the country.
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