UN: In the past 50 years, extreme weather has caused two million deaths.

In its most recent study, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) stated that over the previous 50 years, extreme weather had been responsible for almost 2 million deaths. Events relating to weather and water also resulted in economic harm estimated to have cost the world $4.3 trillion during that time. The economic harm, according to the United Nations weather office, is still increasing. However, it claims that advancements in early warning systems have contributed to a decrease in casualties. Economic losses are far higher. However, the WMO noted in a statement that throughout the previous 50 years, the number of human casualties has decreased due to better early warning systems and coordinated disaster management.

The Geneva, Switzerland-based meteorological service has issued numerous alerts regarding climate change caused by human activity. It claims that the frequency and severity of extreme weather occurrences have risen due to rising temperatures. These include excessive heat waves, storms, flooding, and a deficiency of precipitation. The majority of the economic harm that occurred between 1970 and 2021, according to the WMO, was in the United States. There was $1.7 trillion in damage. However, emerging nations accounted for 90% of all deaths globally. According to the organization, when one takes into account the size of their economies, developing nations bear a heavy price. Cyclone Mocha demonstrated how at-risk nations “bear the brunt of weather, climate, and water-related hazards,” according to WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. This month, a strong ocean storm blasted across Bangladesh and Myanmar.

He said that tens of thousands or possibly hundreds of thousands of people have died in both Bangladesh and Myanmar in the past. “These tragic mortality rates are thankfully no longer a reality thanks to early warnings and disaster management.” He declared, “Early warnings save lives.” In their Atlas of Mortality and Economic Loss from Weather, Climate, and Water-related Hazards, the WMO recognized about 12,000 extreme weather occurrences. It is an update of a report that, through 2019, covers a nearly 50-year period. The WMO acknowledges that more reporting on extreme weather occurrences may have contributed to an increase in the incidence of disasters. Additionally, the agency stated that the reports might have understated the financial harm.