Latest news with #disasters
Bloomberg
09-05-2025
- Climate
- Bloomberg
Why Trump's Plan to Stop Tallying Weather Losses Matters to the Insurance Industry
NOAA's billion-dollar disaster list provides a crucial metric for tracking rising damages tied to climate change and development. By and Brian K Sullivan Save Extreme weather is an increasingly expensive problem in the US. Last year, fires, droughts and storms caused more than $182 billion in damages — but going forward, the federal government won't be keeping track. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, announced Thursday it will 'retire' its popular database of climate and weather disasters that caused at least $1 billion in damage, a move that follows the Trump administration's efforts to scrub environmental data across the federal government.
New York Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
The Government to Stop Tracking the Costs of Extreme Weather
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Thursday it would stop tracking the cost of the country's most expensive disasters, those which cause at least $1 billion in damage. The move would leave insurance companies, researchers and government policymakers without information to help understand the patterns of major disasters like hurricanes, drought or wildfires, and their economic consequences, starting this events are becoming more frequent or severe as the planet grows hotter, although not all disasters are linked to climate change. It's the latest effort from the Trump administration to restrict or eliminate climate research. In recent weeks the administration has dismissed the authors working on the nation's biggest climate assessment, planned to eliminate National Parks grants focused on climate change, and released a budget plan that would cut significantly climate science from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Energy and Defense departments. Researchers and lawmakers criticized Thursday's decision. Jesse M. Keenan, associate professor and director of the Center on Climate Change and Urbanism at Tulane University in New Orleans, said ending the data collection would cripple efforts by federal and state governments to set budgets or make decisions on investment in infrastructure. 'It defies logic,' he said. Without the database, 'the U.S. government's flying blind as to the cost of extreme weather and climate change.' Few institutions can duplicate the kind of information provided by the database, said Virginia Iglesias, a climate researcher at the University of Colorado. 'It's one of the most consistent and trusted records of climate-related economic loss in the country,' she said. 'The power of the database lies in its credibility.' So-called billion-dollar disasters — those with costs that balloon to seven figures are more — have been increasing over time. In the 1980s, when NOAA began compiling these lists, there were just over three per year, on average, when adjusted for inflation. For the period from 2020 to 2024, the average was 23 per year. In total, at least 403 such events have occurred in the United States since 1980. Last year there were 27, a tally second only to 2023 (which had 28). Last year's disasters included hurricanes Helene and Milton, which together caused about $113 billion in damages and more than 250 deaths, a severe hailstorm in Colorado that caused about $3 billion in damages and a yearlong drought across much of the country that caused $5 billion in damages and claimed the lives of more than 100 people from heat exposure. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information plans to stop tracking these billion-dollar disasters in response to 'evolving priorities, statutory mandates, and staffing changes,' the agency said in an email. When asked, the agency did not say whether another branch of NOAA or federal agency would continue tracking and publicly reporting the price tag of such disasters. The announcement said the agency would make archived data from 1980 to 2024 available. But the dollar amount of disasters from 2025 on, such as the Los Angeles wildfires and their estimated billions of dollars of damage, would not be tracked and reported to the public. 'You can't fix what you don't measure,' said Erin Sikorsky, the director of The Center for Climate and Security. 'If we lose this information about the costs of these disasters, the American people and Congress won't know what risks climate is posting to our country.' Other institutions or agencies would likely be unable to duplicate the data collection because it includes proprietary insurance information that companies are cautious to share, Ms. Sikorsky said. 'It's a pretty unique contribution.'
Forbes
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
NOAA's Billion-Dollar Climate Disaster Database Is Going Dark
Lahaina, Maui, Thursday, August 11, 2023 - Buildings still smolder days after a wildfire gutted ... More downtown Lahaina. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) There are many ways to ignore climate reality. One of the most effective is to stop measuring it. That's what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) just did. Quietly, without much public fanfare, the agency announced that it will retire its Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database after 2024. This isn't just an administrative footnote. It's a seismic shift — one that will blind regulators, businesses, and the public to one of the clearest metrics we had on the cost of climate chaos. And if you run a business that lives in the physical world — supply chains, real estate, agriculture, energy, insurance — you should be paying attention. For more than 40 years, NOAA's database tracked extreme weather and climate disasters that cost over $1 billion — standardized, inflation-adjusted, and aggregated from private insurers, reinsurance models, and local governments. The result was one of the most reliable trendlines in climate policy: 403 events since 1980, nearly $3 trillion in damages. And rising fast. In the last five years alone, the annual average ballooned to 24 such disasters. In 2023, the record was 28. This wasn't just a tally. It was a window — showing how decisions made in boardrooms, town councils, and federal agencies added up in the face of a warming world. It wasn't a tool for attribution, strictly speaking. NOAA was careful to note that the database didn't focus on assigning blame to climate change. But when billion-dollar disasters become more frequent, more intense, and more expensive, you don't need attribution to see the pattern. Now, that window goes dark. NOAA says it's ending the database due to staff reductions. But those reductions didn't fall from the sky. They were designed. This is part of a larger pattern under the Trump administration — a quiet dismantling of climate infrastructure. Labs are closing. Research divisions are being gutted. Recent budget proposals have outlined a 27% cut to NOAA's funding, including the elimination of its Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. This office has been central to advancing our understanding of climate systems and developing predictive models that inform everything from agriculture to disaster preparedness. Furthermore, the administration has proposed significant reductions to the Environmental Protection Agency's budget, targeting programs that support renewable energy and environmental justice initiatives. The Energy Star program, which has guided consumers toward energy-efficient products for decades, is also on the chopping block. You can call this austerity, but that's too generous. This the slow, procedural asphyxiation of information. Kill the programs. Retire the datasets. Make it harder for the public — and yes, for business — to see what's coming. The private sector thrives on clarity. You can't hedge against risks you can't see. And this database was one of the few places where public and private data came together to offer that clarity. It pulled from proprietary sources — reinsurance models, private claims, damage assessments — that most companies can't independently access. Insurance companies, in particular, depend on historical data to assess risk and set premiums. Without reliable government data, they may face greater uncertainty, leading to higher costs for consumers and businesses alike. This is a problem. As climate risk accelerates, as insurers recalibrate premiums, as asset managers weigh environmental exposure, we are choosing to know less, just when we need to know more. That's not just a political problem. It's an economic one. Swiss Re recently projected that global insured losses in 2025 will hit $145 billion — growing 5 to 7 percent annually. These aren't abstract figures. These are rising costs passed to customers, absorbed by governments, borne by communities. When institutions turn away from reality, others have to pick up the slack. Some in the private sector will try. But they'll do it with less transparency, more fragmentation, and fewer incentives to serve the public interest. And let's be honest: most companies don't have the time or resources to replicate federal-scale data infrastructure. Nor should they. So the question isn't just what data we've lost. It's what capacity we're losing — to think clearly, to plan wisely, to act collectively. The cost of climate change is growing. But now, the price of seeing that cost is too.
Bloomberg
08-05-2025
- Science
- Bloomberg
Many US Cities Are Sinking. But In Texas, It's Worse
Cities across the US are sinking, and the problem is most pronounced in Texas, according to a new study. The research, which examined 28 cities and was published in science journal Nature on Thursday, found all of them were affected by subsidence, a geological phenomenon that increases their exposure to disasters like floods and earthquakes. Urban centers in Texas are among those sinking the most and have some of the largest numbers of buildings facing potential dangers, according to the report.
Zawya
07-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
ADCMC team holds its first meeting of the year to highlight Abu Dhabi's emergency readiness
Abu Dhabi, UAE: The Emergencies, Crises, and Disasters Management Centre - Abu Dhabi (ADCMC) convened its first meeting after its restructuring, chaired by H.E. Major General Ahmed Saif bin Zaitoon Al Muhairi, Abu Dhabi Police Commander-in-Chief and Head of the Team. The meeting evaluated preventive plans and proactive strategies to enhance the emirate's readiness in addressing a range of emergencies, crises and disasters. During the meeting, H.E. Major General Al Muhairi reaffirmed the Centre's commitment to the wise leadership's directives, aimed at improving Abu Dhabi's capability to respond to various emergencies, crises and disasters. Furthermore, he expressed his appreciation for the remarkable efforts of the former team members, led by His Excellency Staff Major General Pilot Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, former Commander-in-Chief of Abu Dhabi Police. The meeting also included a comprehensive review of major past and ongoing events, an overview of anticipated challenges and the adoption of all preventive and preparedness measures for emergencies, crises and disasters across Abu Dhabi. H.E. Major General Ahmed Saif bin Zaitoon Al Muhairi, Abu Dhabi Police Commander-in-Chief and Head of the Team said, 'At ADCMC, our goal is to develop a comprehensive ecosystem that is fully equipped to confront potential risks under the directives of our wise leadership to strengthen the emirate's readiness in case of crises and disasters. We confirm our commitment to improving different areas of work, from thorough risk assessment and the preparation of strategic plans to the execution of realistic drills and proactive measures to enhance the level of overall readiness. In the next phase, we seek to boost coordination and collaboration among public and private sector firms in the emergency and crisis ecosystem.' Additionally, he highlighted the team's unwavering commitment to reinforcing the emirate's capability to manage crises through a unified approach that combines efforts of all important entities, ensuring continuity of vital businesses and services during times of crisis. This plays a pivotal role in highlighting the UAE's prominent model for responding to various emergencies and crises. H.E. Major General Al Muhairi added, 'We recognise the great responsibility entrusted to us and I firmly believe that seamless coordination and a spirit of teamwork are critical components of an effective response.' ADCMC plays a pivotal role in improving Abu Dhabi's emergency management framework by fostering collaboration with both public and private sector partners. It seeks to create effective strategies for responding to cases of emergencies and crises while improving the emirate's preparedness to manage a wide range of risks with agility and resilience. About ADCMC: The Emergencies, Crises and Disasters Management Centre Abu Dhabi (ADCMC), established under Law No. 22 of 2019, issued by the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, aims to significantly boost the Emirate's preparedness for emergencies, crises and disasters. The Centre has devised plans, strategies and policies for disaster, emergency and crises management. It carries out studies, field trips, audits and evaluations to ensure that organisations are prepared to face challenges and recover immediately. The Centre further focusses on improving coordination and knowledge exchange with relevant authorities and stakeholders. The key objective is to improve Abu Dhabi's capabilities to effectively handle crises and emergencies. Vision: Reinforcing crisis readiness. Mission: We Strive to develop Abu Dhabi's emergencies and crises management ecosystem through joint coordination to build and develop capabilities and leveraging leading technologies. Strategic Priorities: Ensured readiness of Emirate of Abu Dhabi in emergencies and crises Strong stakeholders' coordination and raising awareness Elevated ADCMC internal capabilities
