美国数十亿美元的极端天气灾害不断增加

美国数十亿美元的极端天气灾害不断增加
The Rise In America's Billion-Dollar Extreme Weather Disasters

原始链接: https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/rise-americas-billion-dollar-extreme-weather-disasters

从 1980 年至今，已发生 383 起价值 10 亿美元以上的极端天气或气候灾害，造成的损失总计超过 2.7 万亿美元。十年又十年，此类事件的发生率和造成的经济损失不断增加。美国国家海洋和大气管理局 (NOAA) 跟踪这些事件并计算成本，考虑实际损害和业务中断导致的生产力损失等因素，并根据通货膨胀进行调整。极端天气现象占主导地位，其中近三分之二与严重风暴有关，而一半以上的成本由飓风造成。值得注意的是，在 2020 年代结束之前，我们已经超过了前十年的 70%。损失最惨重的单一灾难：卡特里娜飓风（1,990 亿美元）。恶劣天气和其他灾害经常会导致停电。例如，干旱对水力发电产生负面影响，而水力发电是美国可再生电力生产的重要组成部分。公用事业公司面临巨额开支；夏威夷电力公司将面临 2023 年野火造成的约 50 亿美元的预期损失，几乎是其承保限额的两倍。针对该公司的索赔指控称其基础设施管理不善，例如忽视加固电线杆以抵御强风。在这一趋势中，一些电力供应商正在积极调整策略以减轻潜在的损失。举措包括地下电缆安装、加强保险政策和系统升级。

原文

Since 1980, there have been 383 extreme weather or climate disasters where the damages reached at least $1 billion. In total, these disasters have cost more than $2.7 trillion.

Created in partnership with the National Public Utilities Council, this chart, via Visual Capitalist's Jenna Ross, shows how these disasters have been increasing with each passing decade.

A Growing Concern

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tracks each disaster and estimates the cost based on factors like physical damages and time losses such as business interruption. They adjust all costs by the Consumer Price Index to account for inflation.

Both the number and cost of extreme weather disasters has grown over time. In fact, not even halfway through the 2020s the number of disasters is over 70% of those seen during the entire 2010s.

Severe storms have been the most common, accounting for half of all billion-dollar disasters since 1980. In terms of costs, tropical cyclones have caused the lion’s share—more than 50% of the total. Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall in 2005, remains the most expensive single event with $199 billion in inflation-adjusted costs.

Electricity and Extreme Weather Disasters

With severe storms and other disasters rising, the electricity people rely on is significantly impacted. For instance, droughts have been associated with a decline in hydropower, which is an important source of U.S. renewable electricity generation.

Disasters can also lead to significant costs for utility companies. Hawaii Electric faces $5 billion in potential damages claims for the 2023 wildfire, which is nearly eight times its insurance coverage. Lawsuits accuse the company of negligence in maintaining its infrastructure, such as failing to strengthen power poles to withstand high winds.

Given that the utilities industry is facing the highest risk from extreme weather and climate disasters, some companies have begun to prepare for such events. This means taking steps like burying power lines, increasing insurance coverage, and upgrading infrastructure.