Droughts, floods, fires and typhoons: the 20 most costly climate disasters of 2023

The international charity Christian Aid has compiled a list of the 20 most costly climate disasters of the year. The organization's new report divides the total damage from each disaster by the population of the affected area to estimate the economic loss per person.

Droughts, floods, forest fires and tropical storms - in 2023, no corner of the globe will be spared catastrophic climate events. A new report reveals the 20 costliest climate disasters of the year. The list includes all six inhabited continents of the world. 

Topping the list are the shocking Hawaii wildfires in August, which killed at least 100 people and caused more than $4,000 in damages per person. Also on the list are May storms in Guam, which cost nearly $1,500 per capita, floods in New Zealand, drought in Spain and forest fires in Chile. 

Experts are calling 2023 the “year of climate collapse” and blaming the extreme events on a “failure to quickly transition away from fossil fuels.”

Consequences of a hurricane in Hawaii (Lahaina city)

Scientists are increasingly linking extreme weather events to a warming planet, which is largely caused by carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. 

For example, warmer air can hold more moisture, which means more rain and flooding. Storms also become more intense as warmer sea surface temperatures increase wind speeds. Warmer conditions increase the risk and severity of wildfires.

 August wildfires in Hawaii killed at least 100 people and caused more than $4,000 in damages per person.

 

A volunteer assesses damage to a charred apartment complex after a wildfire in Lahaina, west Maui, Hawaii, August 12.

 Forest fires in Hawaii

 

The hall of the historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and the nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames on Waini Street on August 8, 2023.

 To compile the report, the total damage from each disaster was divided by the population of the affected area to estimate the economic burden per person. This method allows for a more individualized look at the impact of a natural disaster, emphasizing the financial burden on ordinary citizens rather than just the overall economic loss. 

According to the charity, the highest per-person cost of natural disasters came from the wildfires that engulfed Hawaii in August. These wildfires cost an average of $4,161 per person, more than any other climate-related weather event of the year. It's also nearly three times the total cost of the next event on the list, Guam's tropical storm in May ($1,455 per person). Within 15 hours, super typhoon Mawar struck the island of Guam in the Pacific Ocean. The ferocious hurricane killed two people, destroyed buildings, knocked out utility lines and uprooted trees. 

Christian Aid noted the high prevalence of storms on the list, which is "likely to increase due to climate change." The top five also included a storm in Vanuatu in March ($947 per person) and a February storm in New Zealand ($468 per person).

 For 15 hours, from May 23 to 24, super typhoon Mavar tormented the island of Guam. Wind speeds reached 65 m/s, and it was the strongest tropical storm on Guam in decades

 

At number 18 on the list is Cyclone Freddy, which swept through the southern Indian Ocean in February and March and caused chaos. Although it affected several countries such as Mozambique and Madagascar, Malawi was hit the hardest, where incessant rains caused catastrophic flooding.

 This powerful image of Cyclone Freddy was taken on the afternoon of February 19 by a NASA satellite.

 

According to Christian Aid, residents of wealthier countries such as the United States may be better prepared for possible future extreme weather events because they are more able to invest in better housing or take out insurance.

 But in poorer countries such as Malawi, resilient buildings are less common and fewer households have the financial reserves to allow people to recover from such a disaster.

 The report quotes Mofolo Chikaonda, a 69-year-old widow from southern Malawi, as saying: “The worst negative impact of Cyclone Freddy, which I will never forget in my entire life, was the destruction of the only house we had worked so hard to build.”

 Experts say climate-related events are killing more people in the poorest countries.

 It also means that recovery is slower and more uneven, with many people falling deeper into poverty as their assets are destroyed or damaged.

 Record rainfall hits New Zealand's largest city, causing widespread destruction

 

Cars sit on the side of the road due to floodwaters in Auckland, New Zealand, January 28, 2023.

 Flooding in Hawke's Bay after Cyclone Gabriel, 16 February.

 Flooded area as a result of heavy rains in northern Italy in the Emilia-Romagna region on May 26

 

All 20 events included in this list are related to climate change from a cause-and-effect perspective. Therefore, the destructive earthquakes in Turkey and Syria in February, as well as the earthquake in Morocco in September, were not included in it.

 “There is no clear consensus in climate science about whether climate change is affecting the frequency and intensity of earthquakes,” the report says. “The particular event may be an example of a long-term historical pattern rather than a result of climate change.”

 The 20 most costly climate events of 2023