Losses of the 10 worst climate disasters in 2025 exceed $120 billion

Hurricanes and floods in South and East Asia last fall killed 1,750 people and caused damage worth about $25 billion, while the deaths resulting from a forest fire in California amounted to about 400 people, and the value of damage was about $60 billion, according to research related to the most costly natural disasters caused by climate this year.

The devastating Chinese floods, which led to the displacement of thousands of people from their homes, came in third place for the most costly climate disasters, as the value of the damage amounted to about 12 billion dollars, while about 30 people were killed.

The losses of the 10 worst climate-related disasters in 2025 amounted to more than $120 billion, and are covered by insurance, according to an annual report issued by the Christian Aid charity.

In fact, the real losses are much greater, given that only insurance costs are counted, and not deaths and displacement from homes.

Similar catastrophic events like this are often classified under the name “natural disasters,” as if they were merely the results of regular weather fluctuations, but this is a misconception, according to what those who prepared the report say.

“Devastating events are increasing in frequency and intensity due to the man-made climate crisis,” said Emeritus Professor Joanna Hay, a specialist in the field of physics and weather at Britain’s Imperial College. She added: “The world is paying a heavy price for a crisis that we already know how to solve, and these disasters are not (natural), but rather an inevitable result of the continued expansion of gas emissions and human laziness in dealing with this problem.”

Although estimates of the size of economic losses resulting from disasters are usually higher in developed countries, where individuals and companies can afford insurance, the real losses in developing countries may be much greater.

The director of the Power Shift Africa Research Center, Mohamed Adou, says: “While rich countries are counting the financial costs of disasters, millions of people in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean are counting their losses in lives, homes, and futures. The world’s governments must stop ignoring reality in 2026, and start providing real support to those affected.”

The list of the top 10 disasters represents only a small portion of the amount of damage to the planet. The report also addressed 10 other extreme weather disasters, each with losses amounting to less than a billion dollars. Many of the less costly disasters were not included in either list.

The report also focused on a series of hurricanes that occurred in the Philippines, where about 1.4 million people were forced to flee their homes, while the amount of damage amounted to about five billion dollars. All regions of the world were exposed to damage, as disasters accumulated throughout the year, and drought in Iran threatens the 10 million residents of the capital, Tehran, to leave the city.

Floods struck the Democratic Republic of the Congo last April, followed by Nigeria last May, and the damage resulted in the death of 700 people.

Floods in Pakistan and India killed about 1,860 people, cost six billion dollars, and affected about seven million people in Pakistan alone.

As for the developed world, unprecedented fires swept through the Iberian Peninsula, drought waves struck Canada, and Scotland witnessed record heat waves.

During the United Nations climate summit called “COP30” in the Brazilian city of Belem, which was held last November, rich countries agreed to triple the amounts allocated to poor countries to adapt to the effects of extreme weather.

But doubling the amount three times, so that it reaches $120 billion by 2035, will not be sufficient at all to finance the needs of developing countries.

But Christian Aid chief executive Patrick Watts says: “The bill for extreme weather damage will continue to rise.”

Watts added: “These climate disasters are warnings of what lies ahead if we do not quickly end the carbon emissions crisis, and they also underscore the urgent need for adaptation, especially in the Global South, where resources are scarce and people are more vulnerable to climate shocks.” The COP 30 climate summit was an attempt to start working on road maps to get rid of harmful gas emissions.

Work on this will begin this year, under the leadership of Brazil, the host country of the COP30 conference, during a special conference on harmful gas emissions, which will be held by Colombia in April, and is expected to be attended by more than 80 countries that support efforts to develop the road map. About the Guardian

• Hurricanes and floods in South and East Asia last fall killed 1,750 people.