Disasters in 2015, the hottest year on record, demonstrate need to adapt to climate change: UNISDR

Weather and climate-related disasters now dominate disaster trends linked to natural hazards, suggests a new analysis issued this week by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).

The finding, UNISDR reports in a statement, is confirmed by events in 2015 – the hottest year on record – and the number of countries most often hit by disaster: China, 26; United States, 22, India, 19; Philippines, 15; and Indonesia, 11.

“The main message from this trends analysis is that reducing greenhouse gases and adapting to climate change is vital for countries seeking to reduce disaster risk now and in the future,” Robert Glasser, head of UNISDR, emphasizes in the statement.

“98.6 million people were affected by disasters last year, and climate often aided by a strong El Niño was a factor in 92% of those events,” Glasser points out. “The most obvious impact was the 32 major droughts recorded, which was more than double the 10-year annual average,” he adds.

“2015 was the hottest year on record and this contributed to a major loss of life from heatwaves, including a combined total of 7,346 deaths,” the statement points out. “This compares with the 10-year average of 7,232 death and 8.7 million affected.”

With regard to earthquake specifically, Glasser [pictured left] notes that “the Nepal earthquake has confirmed yet again that earthquakes are the most deadly natural hazard category and underlines the importance of ensuring compliance with building codes. It is buildings which kill people in seismic zones, as we saw again at the weekend in Taiwan.”

“Extreme temperatures, mostly heat waves have been severe in 2015,” says Dr. Debarati Guha-Sapir, director of the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. “Mortality from extreme temperatures are very under-estimated and need better evaluation of their impact,” Guha-Sapir adds.

There were 32 major droughts recorded in 2015 – affecting 50.5 million people – compared to an annual average of 15 over the previous decade – affecting an average of 35.4 million people.

Other disaster statistics from 2015 include the following:

• 152 floods affected 27.5 million people and claimed 3,310 lives, comparing to a 10-year average of 5,938 deaths;
• there were 37 cyclones and typhoons in Asia and the Pacific;
• there were 90 reported storms globally, resulting in 996 deaths compared to a 10-year average of 17,778 deaths;
• earthquakes and tsunamis killed 9,525 people and affected 7.2 million;
• landslides triggered by heavy rains killed 1,369 people and affected 50,332; and wildfires took 66 lives and affected almost 495,000 people.