Storms and heavy rain pushed up weather-related home insurance claims in the UK by more than a third last year to a record £573m, according to industry data. The repair bill for storm damage and other extreme weather during 2023 was £150m more than in 2022, the Association of British Insurers said, contributing to an […]
According to data released by the Copernicus Climate Change Service, global surface temperatures in March were 0.1C higher than the previous record for the month, set in 2016, and 1.68C higher than the pre-industrial average. This is the 10th consecutive monthly record in a warming phase that has shattered all previous records. Over the past […]
The UK’s plans for adapting to the effects of the climate crisis “fall far short” of what is required, the government’s statutory adviser has said. The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has examined the national adaptation programme published by ministers last July, intended to set out how people, buildings and vital national infrastructure such as water, transport, energy […]
The National Audit Office has published a new report looking at how well-prepared the country is for future extreme weather events. The report sets out how central government coordinates, leads, supports and assures local activity, but does not cover local responses, such as local response plans. It also does not cover arrangements in the devolved […]
The world is approaching a series of climate risk tipping points, according to a major new report from the UN University. It is also on the brink of irreversible changes to nature, water systems and pollution in space, which would drastically damage our ability to cope with disasters, including the withdrawal of home insurance from […]
Climate risk assessments that take account of threats like heatwaves, droughts, floods and wildfires are increasingly being used to inform and improve national adaptation policies according to the latest European Environment Agency (EEA) assessment of national adaptation actions published this week. The EEA briefing ‘Is Europe on track towards climate resilience? Status of reported national adaptation actions […]
Analysis published in the journal Nature Communications shows at least $2.8tn in damage from 2000 to 2019 through worsened storms, floods and heatwaves The damage caused by the climate crisis through extreme weather has cost $16m (£13m) an hour for the past 20 years, according to a new estimate. Storms, floods, heatwaves and droughts have […]
From Water Briefing The number of disasters has increased by a factor of five over the 50-year period, driven by climate change, more extreme weather and improved reporting. However, thanks to improved early warnings and disaster management, the number of deaths decreased almost three-fold. Extreme weather events cause US$ 3.64 trillion in economic losses. According […]