Counting the Cost 2024: A year of climate breakdown
This year's Counting the Cost report reveals the shocking cost of the world's worst claimed disasters.
These climate disasters serve as a stark warning of what lies ahead if we fail to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. They also highlight the critical need for adaptation measures, particularly in the Global South, where resources are limited, and communities face heightened vulnerability to extreme weather events.
Our analysis list features disasters featured in the news from all over the world – from US storms like Hurricane Milton and Helene, to the China, Bavaria and Valencia floods.
The data is now also showing that climate change is doubling the likelihood of many extreme weather events like floods and tropical cyclones and increasing their intensity, leading to massive destruction and loss of life.
Climate injustice in action
It is important to note that the impacts and costs of climate events fall disproportionately on those living in poverty in lower income countries.
The disproportionate impact of climate disasters highlights the critical need for adaptation strategies to reduce vulnerability before disasters strikes.
Although strides have been made in decreasing fatalities, there remains significant work to build community resilience against future threats.
Image credits and information
The tragic impacts of Cyclone Chido in Mayotte really show how vulnerable small islands are to climate change. A single storm can severely damage critical infrastructure like power, water supply and communications across an entire island, making international support essential. Small islands must be supported to build resilience to tropical cyclones. It is not enough to just improve early warning systems, we must improve the resilience of homes and critical infrastructure to ensure that people have somewhere safe to shelter and essential services are operational during and after the storm.
What Christian Aid are calling for
We're calling on global north countries, including the UK, to increase their commitment to climate finance and put an end to the development of new fossil fuel projects.
As countries submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in 2025, we need to see far more rapid carbon emissions cuts from rich, polluting nations. These developed countries need to heed the warning from the International Energy Agency, and the COP28 agreement in Dubai, and stop developing all new fossil fuel projects and divert the trillions of dollars of subsidies to supporting an energy transition and to climate adaptation both domestically and internationally.
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