Climate Change in 2022: Multiple Billion-Dollar Disasters and Unbearable Human Costs

Image: The 202nd Red Horse Squadron clear roads in Fort Myers Beach, Florida in response to Hurricane Ian, Sept. 30, 2022. Image credit: U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Jesse Hanson. APFootage / Alamy Stock Photo. Article by Rachel Cleetus. Union of Concerned Scientists – January 10, 2023.

Today the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its annual report on billion-dollar weather and climate-related disasters in the United States, which tells a grimly familiar story. In 2022, the nation experienced 18 disasters with costs exceeding a billion dollars each, and together these disasters caused at least 474 deaths. Together these disasters cost at least $165 billion, making 2022 the third most costly year on record. Many of these disasters—including floods, storms, wildfires and droughts—were worsened by climate change. […]

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