According to an analysis by Munich Re (Munich Re), 2021 joins the worrying long-term trend of increasing destruction from natural disasters. Worldwide storms, floods and other natural hazards caused damage of 280 billion US dollars (248 billion euros) last year.
For Europe, last summer’s devastating flash floods in Germany and its neighboring countries were the most expensive natural disaster of all time at 54 billion dollars and 46 billion euros, respectively, of which 33 billion euros were in Germany.
The United States was hit much harder, with tornadoes, hurricanes and a cold spell causing $ 145 billion in damage. 10,000 people were killed worldwide in the previous year, as many as in 2020. The floods in western Germany and neighboring regions killed more than 220 people.
The influence of climate change cannot be dismissed out of hand. The warm air can absorb more moisture from the oceans, making heavy rainfall more likely. The probability that the world will miss the target of a maximum warming of 1.5 degrees is increasing month after month, says Ernst Rauch, chief climate researcher at Munich Re. “It is becoming increasingly clear that we have to adapt to climate change” – also with a view to future generations. “This ranges from the prohibition of rebuilding destroyed buildings in risk zones to the renaturation of rivers.”
According to Munich Re, Europe must adapt to more and more expensive natural disasters in the face of climate change. It will be a generation task to make our countries “weatherproof”, said Rauch.
Source: Nachrichten
