Climate disasters have become increasingly commonplace and increasingly destructive. The worst year was 2017 where a combination of devastating hurricane and wildfires resulted in $300 billion in damages. But 2025 has been one of the costliest years as well with economic losses of $120 billion spanning four continents.
The most expensive disasters were the wildfires in the Los Angeles in January, resulting in over $60 billions in losses.31 people lost their lives in those fires and about 400 additional deaths were from factors linked to the fires according to a later study. The fires were fueled by climate change which led to conditions more conducive to fires.
South and Southeast Asian cyclones in November resulted in $25 billion in damages and over 1,700 people lost their lives in the extreme rainfall and flooding events. It was one of the deadliest weather-related disasters in recent history, occurring in one of the most climate vulnerable regions on Earth.
Flooding in China during the summer months caused nearly $12 billion in damages and several dozen deaths.
Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean in October caused $8 billion in damages. The death toll from that hurricane has not yet been finalized.
Monsoon flooding in India and Pakistan during the summer caused nearly $6 billion in damages and killed over 1,800 people.
Typhoons, tropical storms, droughts, and other extreme weather events led to additional billion-dollar-+ disasters which have become all too common.
