As the hottest year on record, according to the EU’s Copernicus Observatory, 2023 saw some extreme weather phenomena – storms, cyclones, megafires, floods, and so on – amplified by global warming.
In August, Hawaii was hit by unprecedented megafires that caused around a hundred deaths, particularly on Maui, the second-largest island in the archipelago. These fires are considered to be the deadliest in the US since the Cloquet Fire in 1918.
According to a report by the charity Christian Aid, it is also the most costly climate catastrophe of the year, at over US$4,000 (RM18,400) per person per year.
The territory of Guam is the second location on the list. In May, this American island territory in Micronesia was severely affected by typhoon Mawar, which hit the island (together with Japan and the Philippines) with sustained winds of around 225 km/h.
This storm was the strongest to hit the island in over two decades. According to the report, the cost of the disaster came to almost US$1,500 per capita, almost four times less than that of the Hawaii wildfires.
Other countries at the top of the list are mostly islands in Oceania, such as Vanuatu, hit by cyclone Lola in October (US$947 per capita), or New Zealand, subject to storms and flooding. But, the report states, “even large countries with big populations feature: the US, China, Mexico, Spain and Italy all have experienced costly disasters”.
The charity even talks of a “global postcode lottery stacked against the poor”, highlighting the difficulties faced by poor countries that are the hardest hit by these climate phenomena. In light of its findings, the report calls on world leaders to take action.
Here are the 20 biggest climate disasters in 2023, in terms of their cost (in USD) per year and per capita, according to Christian Aid:
- Hawaii, wildfire ($4,161)
- Guam, storm ($1,455)
- Vanuatu, storm ($947)
- New Zealand, storm ($468)
- New Zealand, flooding ($371)
- Italy, flooding ($164)
- Libya, flooding ($105)
- Peru, flooding ($66)
- Spain, drought ($50)
- Myanmar, storm ($41)
- Chile, flooding ($39)
- Haiti, floods ($36)
- Mexico, storm ($35)
- Chile, wildfire ($30)
- United States, storm ($25)
- China, floods ($23)
- Peru, storm ($20)
- Malawi, storm ($17)
- Peru, floods ($9)