By Jim Bloch
One way to gauge the cost of climate change is in terms of the sheer economic havoc wrought by weather and climate disasters.
In the U.S., 2023 was the fifth hottest year in recorded history, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, going back 129 years. The average annual temperature was 54.4 degrees Fahrenheit, 2.4 degrees above the 20th Century average.
2023 was also the Earth’s hottest year on record.
There were more billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the U.S. than ever, 28. The previous record had been set in 2020, with 22. Cumulatively, the 2023 killed at least 492 people and caused $492 billion in damages.
That’s according to a report compiled by Climate Central, the nonprofit group dedicated to studying climate change and getting its results into the hands of citizens and public decision-makers.
Climate Central released “Billion Dollar Disaster Seasons” on Jan. 17.
Billion-dollar weather and climate disasters are becoming more frequent, closer together, and more costly.
Causes
The length of time between climate disasters is shortening.
The warming of the planet is caused by the human burning of fossil fuels, such as oil, gas, and coal, which emit gases, especially carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere that trap the sun’s heat.
The burning of fossil fuels started in earnest with the coming of the Industrial Revolution around 1750 and escalated after 1870.
“The concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere is currently at nearly 412 parts per million (ppm) and rising,” according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. “This represents a 47 percent increase since the beginning of the Industrial Age, when the concentration was near 280 parts per million, and an 11 percent increase since 2000, when it was near 370 ppm.”
2023 may have been the fifth hottest year on record in the U.S., but the top 10 hottest years have all occurred in this century. The seven hottest have taken place since 2012.
It’s not like the CO2 counter starts fresh each year. It’s additive and extremely long-lasting.
“Once it’s added to the atmosphere, it hangs around for a long time: between 300 to 1,000 years,” according to NASA. “Thus, as humans change the atmosphere by emitting carbon dioxide, those changes will endure on the timescale of many human lives.”
A warmer world means more evaporation of water from the land and increased transpiration of water from plants. This sets the stage for drought in some areas, especially the U.S. West, and for wetter weather elsewhere, such as the East: The increased amounts of water in the atmosphere must come down again somewhere.
2023 was the third driest on record in the U.S., according to NOAA, with average annual precipitation of 29.46 inches, .48 inch below average. But much of the Northeast received more precipitation than normal, as did parts of the Great Lakes, southern Plains, part of the western Plains to California, Mississippi Valley, and Southeast.
“As the planet warms, many dangerous extreme events — from heat waves to wildfires and heavy rainfall and flooding — have become more frequent and/or intense around the globe,” said Climate Central in its report.
How hot was it?
For the fifth hottest year on record in the U.S., it was plenty hot. Lansing had its second warmest average annual temperature on record (157 years).
According to NOAA:
- In Texas, the cities of Del Rio and Rio Grande reached 113°F and San Angelo reported 114°F on June 20, setting the all-time heat record at each location. Phoenix, Arizona had an average temperature of 102.8°F for the month of July—the hottest month on record for any major city in the U.S. Contributing to the record, Phoenix had 31 consecutive days of temperatures above 110°F from June 30 to July 30—breaking the previous record of 18 days set in 1974.
- On July 16, Death Valley soared to 128°F, setting a daily temperature record, and reported its hottest midnight temperature on record at 120°F on July 17.
- On August 24, temperatures in Chicago soared to 100°F, with a 120°F heat index; this was the first 100°F temperature since July 6, 2012, and the highest heat index ever recorded at Chicago’s official climate observation site.
Prevalence of billion-dollar storms
According to NOAA, the 28 billion dollar disasters in 2023 included “17 severe storms, four flooding events, two tropical cyclones, two tornado outbreaks, one winter storm, one wildfire, and one drought and heat wave event.”
Since 2017, there have been 137 billion-dollar climate and weather disasters, claiming 5,500 lives and costing more than a trillion dollars.
The U.S. has been hit with at least 10 separate such disasters in each of the past 13 years.
Billion-dollar storms were 2.7 times more likely in 2004-2023 than in 1984-2003, and the annual cost more than tripled.
The disasters are happening closer together, raising the costs and straining emergency infrastructure. Compounding extreme events, such as drought followed by wildfires, or hurricanes on the heels of spring tornadoes, will increase as Earth heats up.
“Climate change is increasing the chances of multiple climate hazards occurring simultaneously across the US and its territories,” says the Fifth National Climate Assessment,
In addition to a hotter climate triggering more natural disasters, the increasing population means there are more people, homes, and businesses are affected by storms and fires.Â
“Lastly, accelerated development in fire-prone areas, along coasts, and in floodplains can multiply the damage done by a given extreme event,” said the Climate Central report.
Local dangers
According to NOAA, St. Clair County is at higher risk for flooding, freezing, and severe storms than both Michigan and the U.S. at large. The county is at higher risk of drought than the rest of the state, and slightly less vulnerable than the U.S. as a whole.
Macomb County is at higher risk for drought, freezing, severe storms, and drought than St. Clair County, Michigan and the U.S. Wayne County is the most vulnerable county in the state for all four weather and climate catastrophes.
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
