Latest news with #BillionDollarWeatherandClimateDisasters
USA Today
13-05-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
Federal database that tracked costly weather disasters no longer being updated
Federal database that tracked costly weather disasters no longer being updated This database logged more than 400 weather events that cost over $1 billion each. Now, it's gone. Show Caption Hide Caption When is hurricane season? Here's when you can expect the most storms. When do most hurricanes happen? Here's what to know about the hurricane season and how you can prepare. A popular database that tracked the nation's growing number of billion-dollar disasters is going away, in another of the ongoing changes at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters project tallied 27 disasters that cost more than $1 billion each in the U.S. in 2024, including Hurricane Helene, four other landfalling hurricanes, winter storms and tornado outbreaks. But it will no longer add to the 44-year-old list. A pink banner appeared on the project's website on May 8 stating: "In alignment with evolving priorities, statutory mandates, and staffing changes, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) will no longer be updating ..." The database logged 403 events between 1980 and 2024, with a total estimated cost exceeding $2.9 trillion. No disasters have been added in 2025. Experts in the disaster and climate change communities lament the loss of the database, and its corralling of the cost estimates into an easily accessible format for researchers. It was "a tremendous service," said Jeremy Porter, head of climate implications research at First Street, a climate change and risk research organization. The database was one of the few publicly available sources for gathering integrated data, including losses, damages, business interruption costs, and federal disaster relief estimates, "into a cohesive, event-level damage assessment," Porter said. "What makes this resource uniquely valuable is not just its standardized methodology across decades, but the fact that it draws from proprietary and non-public data sources" that are inaccessible to many researchers. The data being compiled was "incredibly important," said Daniel Swain, climate scientist with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Regardless of the cause, it's crucial to know the total cost of these disasters. "It was kind of a unique program that's going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to replace," Swain said. "It was widely used by insurers, reinsurers and federal organizations. All of these people who have to plan for, prepare for or respond to disasters want to know what's happening with disasters." Agency restructuring led to data collection change Adam Smith, the climate scientist who was NOAA's lead scientist for the disaster program, is among thousands of federal employees who have taken early retirements and voluntary separations under the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the size of the federal government. "It comes down to many people who have left, myself included, combined with reducing the scope of data products and services," Smith told USA TODAY. The staff reductions at NOAA, estimated by former agency officials to be roughly 18% to 20% of its previous 12,000 employees, have prompted restructuring and reconfiguring throughout the agency. For example, staff shortages at the National Weather Service have resulted in reduced or halted daily weather balloon launches, changed schedules for some forecast advisories and fewer social media posts about weather conditions. The administration's budget proposal for next year trims more than $1.3 billion from NOAA's roughly $6.4 billion budget for 2025. The document repeatedly downplayed climate change, referring to "climate scam programs" and "woke climate research." All past reports from the project and its underlying data will remain archived and available, NOAA said. In a notice published May 7, NOAA said the public could email comments about the changes to Database subjected to controversy The disaster database has not been free of debate. Some were concerned the data was being used to justify efforts to combat climate change, although the rising cost of weather disasters is due to more than just global warming. Rising real estate values and increasing development also drove up costs. Roger Pielke Jr., a political scientist and professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, is among those critical of the way the information had been used. Tracking the data is essential, he said but he argued the database was "given more scientific credence" and should be compiled by an agency such as the Bureau of Economic Analysis rather than NOAA. It's true the list was not a "primary indicator of climate change," Swain said. But it was a great science tool to show change and provide a best estimate of disaster losses over time as they've been influenced by a wide range of forces, including climate change. The beauty of the list was NOAA's ability to include proprietary information from people willing to share their information with the agency, Swain said. "That's why it will be difficult, if not impossible, to replicate." The disaster project was halted the same week World Weather Attribution, a nonprofit, announced that the extreme rainfall that caused massive flooding in Kentucky and seven other states in early April was made 9% more likely by warming temperatures. The international collaborative analyzes selected world weather events to estimate how they are affected by human-caused climate change. The year-to-date average temperatures so far have increased the chances that 2025 could become the hottest or second warmest year on record, surpassing the record set in 2024, according to Berkeley Earth. Contributing: Jacob Biba, USA TODAY Network Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, covers climate change, weather, the environment and other news. Reach her at dpulver@ or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.
Japan Today
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
U.S. climate agency stops tracking costly natural disasters
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is one of several US climate agencies facing steep funding cuts by President Donald Trump's administration U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will stop updating a long-running database of costly climate and weather disasters as part of its deep cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The database, which spans the years 1980-2024, has allowed researchers, the media and the public to keep a tally of events ranging from wildfires to hurricanes that caused losses exceeding $1 billion, adjusted for inflation. "In alignment with evolving priorities, statutory mandates, and staffing changes, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information will no longer be updating the Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters product," a banner on the landing page said. Past years will remain archived. From 1980 to 2024, the United States experienced 403 weather and climate disasters with damages exceeding $1 billion each, adjusted to 2024 dollars. The cumulative cost of these events surpassed $2.9 trillion. A time-series chart shows that while there is year-to-year variation, the overall number of billion-dollar disasters is rising sharply, driven by climate destabilization linked to fossil fuel emissions. "Hiding many billions in costs is Trump's latest move to leave Americans in the dark about climate disasters," said Maya Golden-Krasner of the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute. "Trump's climate agenda is to leave people unsafe and unprepared while oil companies pocket record profits," Golden-Krasner added. "The pressure is on for leaders with integrity to keep counting the costs of climate disasters and hold polluters accountable for the damage." Trump, who withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement on day one of his second term, has pursued aggressive rollbacks of climate-focused institutions. His administration appears to be following "Project 2025," a blueprint authored by right-wing think tanks that labels NOAA a key source of "climate alarmism." NOAA has since undergone mass layoffs affecting roughly 20 percent of its workforce, and the White House is seeking to slash the agency's annual budget by $1.5 billion -- nearly a quarter of its total funding. The move follows another major blow to federal climate science: the dismissal of more than 400 authors behind the National Climate Assessment, a report mandated by Congress and considered the government's foremost climate evaluation. © 2025 AFP
eNCA
09-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
US climate agency stops tracking costly natural disasters
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump's administration will stop updating a long-running database of costly climate and weather disasters as part of its deep cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The database, which spans the years 1980-2024, has allowed researchers, the media and the public to keep a tally of events ranging from wildfires to hurricanes that caused losses exceeding $1-billion, adjusted for inflation. "In alignment with evolving priorities, statutory mandates, and staffing changes, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information will no longer be updating the Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters product," a banner on the landing page said. Past years will remain archived. From 1980 to 2024, the United States experienced 403 weather and climate disasters with damages exceeding $1-billion each, adjusted to 2024 dollars. The cumulative cost of these events surpassed $2.9-trillion. A time-series chart shows that while there is year-to-year variation, the overall number of billion-dollar disasters is rising sharply, driven by climate destabilisation linked to fossil fuel emissions. "Hiding many billions in costs is Trump's latest move to leave Americans in the dark about climate disasters," said Maya Golden-Krasner of the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute. "Trump's climate agenda is to leave people unsafe and unprepared while oil companies pocket record profits," Golden-Krasner added. "The pressure is on for leaders with integrity to keep counting the costs of climate disasters and hold polluters accountable for the damage." Trump, who withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement on day one of his second term, has pursued aggressive rollbacks of climate-focused institutions. His administration appears to be following "Project 2025," a blueprint authored by right-wing think tanks that labels NOAA a key source of "climate alarmism." NOAA has since undergone mass layoffs affecting roughly 20 percent of its workforce, and the White House is seeking to slash the agency's annual budget by $1.5-billion -- nearly a quarter of its total funding. The move follows another major blow to federal climate science: the dismissal of more than 400 authors behind the National Climate Assessment, a report mandated by Congress and considered the government's foremost climate evaluation.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US climate agency stops tracking costly natural disasters
US President Donald Trump's administration will stop updating a long-running database of costly climate and weather disasters as part of its deep cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to a Thursday announcement. The database, which spans the years 1980-2024, has allowed researchers, the media and the public to keep a tally of events ranging from wildfires to hurricanes that caused losses exceeding $1 billion, adjusted for inflation. "In alignment with evolving priorities, statutory mandates, and staffing changes, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information will no longer be updating the Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters product," a banner on the landing page said. Past years will remain archived. From 1980 to 2024, the United States experienced 403 weather and climate disasters with damages exceeding $1 billion each, adjusted to 2024 dollars. The cumulative cost of these events surpassed $2.9 trillion. A time-series chart shows that while there is year-to-year variation, the overall number of billion-dollar disasters is rising sharply, driven by climate destabilization linked to fossil fuel emissions. "Hiding many billions in costs is Trump's latest move to leave Americans in the dark about climate disasters," said Maya Golden-Krasner of the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute. "Trump's climate agenda is to leave people unsafe and unprepared while oil companies pocket record profits," Golden-Krasner added. "The pressure is on for leaders with integrity to keep counting the costs of climate disasters and hold polluters accountable for the damage." Trump, who withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement on day one of his second term, has pursued aggressive rollbacks of climate-focused institutions. His administration appears to be following "Project 2025," a blueprint authored by right-wing think tanks that labels NOAA a key source of "climate alarmism." NOAA has since undergone mass layoffs affecting roughly 20 percent of its workforce, and the White House is seeking to slash the agency's annual budget by $1.5 billion -- nearly a quarter of its total funding. The move follows another major blow to federal climate science: the dismissal of more than 400 authors behind the National Climate Assessment, a report mandated by Congress and considered the government's foremost climate evaluation. ia/mlm
France 24
08-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
US climate agency stops tracking costly natural disasters
The database, which spans the years 1980-2024, has allowed researchers, the media and the public to keep a tally of events ranging from wildfires to hurricanes that caused losses exceeding $1 billion, adjusted for inflation. "In alignment with evolving priorities, statutory mandates, and staffing changes, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information will no longer be updating the Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters product," a banner on the landing page said. Past years will remain archived. From 1980 to 2024, the United States experienced 403 weather and climate disasters with damages exceeding $1 billion each, adjusted to 2024 dollars. The cumulative cost of these events surpassed $2.9 trillion. A time-series chart shows that while there is year-to-year variation, the overall number of billion-dollar disasters is rising sharply, driven by climate destabilization linked to fossil fuel emissions. "Hiding many billions in costs is Trump's latest move to leave Americans in the dark about climate disasters," said Maya Golden-Krasner of the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute. "Trump's climate agenda is to leave people unsafe and unprepared while oil companies pocket record profits," Golden-Krasner added. "The pressure is on for leaders with integrity to keep counting the costs of climate disasters and hold polluters accountable for the damage." Trump, who withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement on day one of his second term, has pursued aggressive rollbacks of climate-focused institutions. His administration appears to be following "Project 2025," a blueprint authored by right-wing think tanks that labels NOAA a key source of "climate alarmism." NOAA has since undergone mass layoffs affecting roughly 20 percent of its workforce, and the White House is seeking to slash the agency's annual budget by $1.5 billion -- nearly a quarter of its total funding. The move follows another major blow to federal climate science: the dismissal of more than 400 authors behind the National Climate Assessment, a report mandated by Congress and considered the government's foremost climate evaluation.
