The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) of the United Nations said its 'Atlas' is the most comprehensive review of mortality and economic losses from weather, water and climate extremes ever produced.
It surveyed some 11,000 disasters occurring between 1979-2019, including major catastrophes such as Ethiopia’s 1983 drought, which was the single most fatal event with 300,000 deaths, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that was the most costly, with losses of $163.6bn (£118.9bn).
The report showed an accelerating trend, with the number of disasters increasing nearly fivefold from the 1970s to the most recent decade, adding to signs that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent because of global warming. The WMO attributed the growing frequency to both climate change and improved disaster reporting.
Costs from the events also surged from $175.4bn (£127.5bn) in the 1970s to $1.38tn (£1tn) in the 2010s, when storms such as Harvey, Maria and...