![]() Heavy losses that year also resulted from severe weather, floods, and a winter storm in the United States. Loss events included Hurricane Dorian, which caused billions of dollars in damage, especially in the Bahamas, in late August to early September. Roughly 20% of disasters in 2019 occurred in North America, including the Caribbean and Central America, for total damages of US$55 billion, of which US$29 billion were insured ( 130). The converse also is true, that an extreme event may not result in extreme impacts when communities are prepared. The occurrence of an extreme event is not required for a community or region to experience extreme impacts, such as large increase in mortality an extreme impact can arise from a moderately strong event when it occurs in a highly vulnerable population. Risks from extreme weather and climate events arise from the intersection of the physical hazard (e.g., wind and rain), the extent of exposure to the hazard, the vulnerability of individuals and communities, and the capacity to prepare for, manage, and recover from extreme events.Ī disaster generally is defined as a sudden, calamitous event that disrupts the functioning of a community or society and that exceeds its ability to cope using its own resources ( 81). Events influenced by climate change, particularly wildfires, also are increasing. Anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, land use change, and other activities impacting the global energy balance are altering the frequency and intensity of many extreme weather and climate events, with some regions experiencing increases in heat waves, floods, and droughts ( 84). Floods and storms accounted for 68% of the number of affected people worldwide. Asia was the most affected continent with 40% of the events, 45% of the deaths, and 74% of all people affected. Worldwide, in 2019, there were 396 disasters 1 that killed 11,755 people, affected 95 million others, and cost nearly US$130 billion ( 28). The risks are urgent, so action is needed now. Conducting vulnerability and adaptation assessments and developing health system adaptation plans can identify priority actions to effectively reduce risks, such as disaster risk management and more resilient infrastructure. While most of these events cannot be completely avoided, many of the health risks could be prevented through building climate-resilient health systems with improved risk reduction, preparation, response, and recovery. Long-term changes to Earth’s energy balance are increasing the frequency and intensity of many extreme events and the probability of compound events, with trends projected to accelerate under certain greenhouse gas emissions scenarios. Although adverse health impacts from extreme events declined over the past few decades, climate change and more people moving into harm’s way could alter this trend. These events and events influenced by climate change, such as wildfires, continue to cause significant human morbidity and mortality and adversely affect mental health and well-being. Extreme weather and climate events, such as heat waves, cyclones, and floods, are an expression of climate variability.
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