July 29, 2011
Data point: Billion-dollar disasters on the rise
This year, the United States has experienced some of the most substantial damage from national disasters and, according to a report from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), things are only going to get worse. As the agency’s infographic illustrates, the number of events per year that exceed a cost of one billion dollars in damages has been steadily climbing over the last three decades. Indeed, while the average cost from weather damage at this point of the year is close to $6 billion, we’ve already seen costs of $32 billion for the disasters that have occurred so far in 2011.
While the report is limited to the U.S., it has interesting implications globally. The NCDC points to a growing population and its migration into high-risk areas as a factor in these disasters. However, it suggests that one of the key causes is climate change in general—rising carbon emissions, which contribute to a warmer and more moisture absorbing atmosphere. This information seems to indicate the precariousness of population growth and the demands it places on the environment. If climate change does indeed exist, it appears that we’ll have to brace ourselves for more damage, and more expenditures, in the future.