Consequences of extreme weather events: can we still afford it?

Floods, hurricanes, wildfires — whether we want them or not, extreme weather events have become the new normal. This year alone, there have been 24 billion-dollar weather disasters in the US.

Yet, this is not surprising. For the past few decades, the globe’s icy caps have been melting at a staggering rate of 1.2 trillion tons a year, which is slightly above the combined weight of all human-made things. Rising sea levels are drowning island and coastal nations, with places like the Maldives predicted to be underwater by 2100.

While world leaders are still discussing what could be done to prevent global temperatures from rising, the devastating impacts of natural disasters are already rippling across the globe.

In this blog post, you will explore the impact of extreme weather on multiple layers of our society, economy, and infrastructure. Later, you will find out how the transition into renewable energy sources can help to minimize the future risk of natural disasters.

Extreme weather events cost us human lives

This year, devastating heatwaves hit one record after another, with temperatures soaring to all-time highs. Streets in New York were drowning. Floods in Vermont washed away roads and destroyed houses, while California recorded more than 7,000 wildfires just this year.

Massive rainfall caused deadly floods in Spain, killing 224 people and paralyzing one of Europe’s busiest ports in Valencia. Meanwhile, Hurricane Milton struck Florida, claiming lives and leaving more than 3.5 million residents without power.

The southeastern parts of the US are being struck by Hurricane Debby, followed by Hurricane Helene, leaving a few hundred casualties and inflicting an estimated $89 billion in damage. All this – just in three months.

Over the past 20 years, heat-related mortality has risen by approximately 30%, while heat-related deaths, such as heatstroke or heat exhaustion, have increased in 94% of European regions.

Just this year, an extreme heatwave in Saudi Arabia killed 1,300 Hajj pilgrims. A heatwave in Phoenix killed 256 citizens. Last year, the desert city experienced a record-breaking 31-day heat streak, killing 645, while a heatwave in California claimed the lives of 395.

Extreme weather and widespread consequences of it

While the loss of lives and the destruction of infrastructure are the most painful and visible consequences, the effects of extreme weather can be seen globally and across multiple levels of society.

Disruption of food supply chains

Food production is incredibly vulnerable to extreme weather changes. Around the globe, heatwaves, droughts, and unusually timed frosts are already affecting harvests and shrinking the land suitable for agriculture. Severe droughts are causing soil erosion and drying up grazing lands, while changes in the usual temperatures are also putting crops in danger of new invasive pests.

After 2030, yields are estimated to drop in many parts of the world, potentially damaging the food supply. While a huge part of the world’s population depends on agriculture to make ends meet, climate change can strip communities of the means to sustain their livelihoods.

Social injustice

Climate change escalates social, political, and economic tensions. Economically and socially vulnerable groups are the ones most affected by extreme weather conditions. Natural disasters can instantly strip them of their primary source of income, fueling the increase in poverty rates.

The World Bank estimates that climate change could push from 68 to 135 million people into poverty by 2030. The impacts of climate change also magnify structural inequalities in society, such as between women and men. This is especially evident in developing countries, where women highly depend on climate-sensitive jobs such as agriculture and manual labor for their livelihoods. Extreme weather conditions are putting them in greater danger of poverty and gender-based violence.

Migration

Climate change is causing tens of millions of people to migrate to escape the effects of extreme climate conditions. According to the Environmental Migration Portal, 46.9 million new internal displacements were registered in 2023, 56% of which were triggered by environmental disasters. Disaster displacement in 2023 was the third-highest figure in the last decade.

By 2050, extreme weather events could displace up to 216 million people, says World Bank. Such a massive migration will create various tensions, as millions of migrants will need assistance and integration efforts by the host countries. Also, intense internal migration to the cities in search of a better life results in the expansion of slum areas with poor sanitation and a high crime rate.

Risk of military conflicts

A hostile climate is damaging agricultural lands, and water resources are becoming increasingly scarce. Loss of resources could potentially spark conflicts between local communities in many regions. Scarce water supplies can lead to social unrest and conflicts over freshwater, farming, and fishing, especially in border areas where multiple countries share water sources.

Is renewable energy an answer to natural disasters? 

To prevent a climate catastrophe, the rise in global temperature should be kept to 1.5°C. That’s a well-known threshold highlighted by the international scientific community. However, the planet has already surpassed the 1.5°C threshold for the 12th month in a row. 

The UN warned that if nothing is fundamentally changed, the planet might heat up to 3.1°C by the end of the century. If that turns out to be true, we will have to brace ourselves for even more catastrophic natural disasters. 

Multiple scientists agree that the longer the world delays relying more on renewable energy than fossil fuels, the more severe and frequent extreme weather events will become. Still, the simple question remains — is it too late? 

Well, not necessarily. Although demand for fossil fuels remains unacceptably high and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future, the dramatic expansion of the renewable energy sector is promising. 

The International Energy Agency report states that a net zero scenario is still possible. However, the world must double the rate of transition to renewable energy.

In a recent decade, the cost of generating electricity by solar PV plants decreased by almost 80%, fueling the further adoption of the technology. By 2050, solar energy generation could potentially increase to 48%. 

Also, solar panel manufacturing has doubled every year for the last ten years. All this gives hope that the usage of solar energy will continue to grow, giving a push to an economy based on renewable energy sources.

Final thoughts

Extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other natural disasters, prove that climate change is already costing us lives and devastatingly affecting our economy and society.

While these effects will become even more severe in the immediate future, we can work to prevent extreme weather conditions by introducing more renewable energy sources, such as wind, geothermal, and solar energy. This green transition can significantly reduce carbon emissions while satisfying our electricity needs.