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BERLIN (AP) — Harm wrought by Hurricane Ida within the US state of Louisiana and the flash floods that hit Europe final summer time helped make 2021 probably the most costly years for pure disasters, reinsurance firm Munich Re stated Monday.
The corporate’s annual report put the general financial losses from pure disasters worldwide final 12 months at $280 billion, making it the fourth-costliest after 2011, the 12 months a large earthquake and tsunami struck Japan.
Insured losses in 2021 amounted to $120 billion, the second-highest after 2017, when hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria hit the Americas, based on Munich Re.
Greater than a 3rd of these insured losses final 12 months had been brought on by Ida ($36 billion) and the July floods in Europe ($13 billion).
Nearly 10,000 died because of a pure catastrophe in 2021, corresponding to the loss of life toll in recent times, Munich Re stated.
The corporate warned that research confirmed a hyperlink between international warming and pure disasters.
“The photographs of pure disasters in 2021 are disturbing,” stated Torsten Jeworrek, a member Munich Re’s board of administration.
“Local weather analysis more and more confirms that excessive climate has develop into extra seemingly,” he stated. “Societies must urgently adapt to growing climate dangers and make local weather safety a precedence.”
Satellite tv for pc measurements present 2021 was one of many warmest years on report, with the annual common temperature 1.1-1.2 levels Celsius larger than the pre-industrial interval from 1850-1900, the European Union’s Copernicus Local weather Change Service stated Monday.
Europe skilled its warmest summer time on report, it stated.
Scientists say that larger temperatures could cause the air to soak up extra moisture, which may then result in extra excessive rainfall reminiscent of that seen in western Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands final summer time.
The ensuing floods devastated complete villages and killed greater than 220 individuals in what insurance coverage corporations stated was the most expensive pure catastrophe Europe has ever seen.
“Despite the fact that occasions can not mechanically be attributed to local weather change, evaluation of the modifications over many years gives believable indications of a reference to the warming of the environment and the oceans,” stated Ernst Rauch, Munich Re’s chief local weather scientist, including that adapting to growing dangers could be “a problem.”
The corporate famous that not all pure disasters are climate-related, citing volcanic eruptions in Indonesia and Spain’s Canary Islands, and earthquakes such because the one which hit Japan in February.
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