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The Number of Weather Disasters in Every State in the Past Decade, Ranked

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Source: Michael Bocchieri / Getty Images News via Getty Images

In the last 10 years, 9 out of every 10 counties in the United States have experienced a federally declared climate disaster, according to a report released late last year. Disasters including hurricanes, wildfires, blizzards, floodings, and other types of extreme weather events struck almost every part of the country.

This means most U.S. residents are potentially in the path of natural disasters, which are becoming more frequent and powerful amid global warming.

To find the states with the most weather disasters, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the Atlas of Disaster report published by Rebuild by Design, a nonprofit that helps communities struck by natural disasters. We ranked states by the number of weather disasters from 2011 to 2021 as listed in the report. All data, including federal aid, came from the report. A disaster in a state can span several counties, and therefore the number of counties with five or more disasters can be larger than the number of disasters declared by the state.

Federal aid to help states prepare for and clean up after weather-related events comes largely from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to the recent report, these agencies have dispersed $91 billion in disaster aid to states from 2011 to 2021, led by $26.3 billion to New York and $14.8 billion to Texas.

Superstorm Sandy in 2012 was the costliest natural disaster in New York and New Jersey in this period of time, while Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and a devastating winter storm in 2021 were the costliest weather disasters in the Lone Star state in that 10-year span. (Here are the most destructive storms in U.S. history.)

Seven other states have received more than a billion dollars in weather-related disaster aid from FEMA and HUD since 2011, including hurricane-prone Florida, Louisiana, and both Carolinas.

Louisiana, the country’s 25th most populous state, ranks at the top in weather disaster aid as measured on a per capita basis. In other words, Louisianans have received the highest amount of disaster aid when adjusting for its population size: $1,736 per resident. The only other state to have per capita FEMA and HUD aid for natural disasters above $1,000 per resident is New York, the country’s fourth most-populated state.

A string of massive seasonal wildfires from 2011 to 2021 helped put California as the sixth largest recipient of federal weather disaster aid. California is also the state with the highest number of climate disaster declarations. Five other states have issued 20 or more disaster declarations from 2011 to 2021: Tennessee, Iowa, Mississippi, and Oklahoma, in part due to powerful weather events like tornadoes and thunderstorm supercells.

California, the country’s largest state by population and gross domestic product, also has 1,966 polluted Superfund sites, the highest number in the nation. Other high-population states like New Jersey, Florida, and New York also have among the highest number of these polluted sites. (Here are the 13 most destructive wildfires in U.S. history.)

Here are the states with the most weather disasters.

Letter from Latin America: Mining companies change ESG tune after banner year

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Source: Mario Tama / Getty Images

(Michael Molinski is a senior economist at Trendline Economics. He’s worked for Fidelity, Charles Schwab and Wells Fargo, and previously as a foreign correspondent and editor for Bloomberg News and MarketWatch.)

LIMA, Peru (Callaway Climate Insights) — From iron-ore mines in Brazil and lithium mines in Chile, to copper in Peru, Latin American mining companies are taking their profits from a banner year in 2022 and reinvesting it in ESG and anticarbon efforts, mining executives say.

Mining companies are one of the world’s biggest polluters, spewing carbon into the air and using up gallons of water in an effort to extract minerals from the ground. With metals and minerals all shooting up to record highs in 2022, ESG expenditures took a back seat as many miners concentrated on getting as much production as possible.

But with commodities taking a bit of a dip in 2023, mining companies appear to be again taking their profits from last year and investing it in ESG…

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By David Callaway

27 Countries Facing the Worst Climate Change Catastrophes

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Source: sadikgulec / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Climate change continues to wreak havoc across the world. Several states are reeling from severe spring flooding, and parts of the country are still recovering from last year’s brutal hurricane season. Meanwhile, a study by Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology released this month found that, as a result of climate change, droughts are now coming on faster than can be predicted. While the effects of the crisis can be seen in every nation on earth, some countries face a much higher threat of catastrophic ecological events than others. (See the most destructive storms in U.S. history.)

To find the 27 countries that face catastrophic ecological threats, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the global think tank Institute for Economics & Peace report Ecological Threat Report 2022. The report, which covers 163 countries, identified 27 hotspot countries that face catastrophic ecological threats, while also having the lowest levels of societal resilience (as measured by ongoing domestic and international conflict, societal safety and security, and militarization). Countries are ordered by the number of catastrophic ecological threats in reverse alphabetical order.

We added such measures as the Global Peace Index 2022, which is on a scale of 1-5, whereas 5 is least peaceful; gross domestic product per capita in current U.S. dollars; the Human Development Index (the HDI uses health, education, and economic measures to assess a country’s development on a scale of 0-1 with 1 being most developed); and 2021 and projected 2050 population of each country.

Countries with effective water management, efficient agricultural systems, and strong disaster preparedness have the ability to better withstand an ecological disaster. Being free of conflicts further strengthens a country’s resilience. No single country with a high level of socio-economic resilience has an extremely low ETR score. Conversely, countries plagued by ongoing conflicts exhibit less societal resilience and are ecologically fragile. (Are any among the countries facing the worst climate emergencies?)

The 2022 ETR identifies 27 hotspot countries that face catastrophic ecological threats, while also having the lowest levels of societal resilience. These countries are home to 768 million people. Two-thirds of hotspot countries are in sub-Saharan Africa, with seven of the eight hotspot countries with the highest risk found in that region – Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda. The eighth country is Yemen.

Meanwhile, countries in the Middle East/North Africa account for another 18.5% of hotspot countries. In addition to natural disasters and unstable societies, many of the hotspot countries face food shortages due to supply disruptions caused by the Russia war in Ukraine. 

Click here to see 27 countries that face the worst catastrophic ecological threats.

Click here to read our detailed methodology.

Offshore wind projects in Eastern U.S. face new obstacle

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Source: criminalintent / Flickr

In today’s edition:

— The Biden Administration’s ambitious offshore wind strategy faces new pressure, this time from the government itself
— A heartbreaking reminder of why Germany has rejected nuclear power
— Winners and losers in the race for EV subsidies
— Here’s a country-by-country breakdown of per capita emissions
— Corporate annual meeting season begins with a climate resolution against Exxon

The Biden Administration’s ambitious plans to build a wall of offshore wind projects along the mid-Atlantic coast, already besieged by opposition from coastal communities and the fishing industry, faces a new challenger — the government itself.

Specifically, the Pentagon, which warned this week that almost all of the areas targeted by the plan for up to 30 gigawatts of new wind power by the end of the decade are in sensitive areas for military operation. The military has opposed oil rigs in certain offshore areas in the past, as well as West Coast wind leases in Southern California.

We’ve no doubt the government will find a way to appease the military and find different areas for it to conduct operations, including bombing training runs. But any big delays will be bad news for the international renewable power companies investing in the projects, which will cost billions of dollars.

Like nuclear power plants and oil drilling operations, wind power turbines are incredibly expensive and involve long-term investment, especially when we’re talking dozens of miles offshore in the volatile Atlantic Ocean. While the benefits to the country — and the military — from developing this important renewable power source, are enormous, it will be harder to raise funds for these projects if costly delays become a reality.

This challenge needs to be resolved in quick order.

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By David Callaway

Countries Where the Most People Are Killed Defending the Environment

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Source: leonardospencer / iStock via Getty Images

As the world comes to the realization of the profound damages human beings are causing to natural environments worldwide, groups across the globe have long been trying to protect the local land and environment. In some places, these struggles are not always peaceful, and last year alone, 200 people were murdered for their work defending the environment, according to a recent report. (Earth’s CO2 level rose every year since climate change became a national issue.)

In some countries around the globe there have been violent clashes over land use, pollution, hydroelectric and other projects, and the rights of indigenous people. Climate defenders in these areas fight multinational agribusiness that continually encroach on land not not theirs, wildlife poachers, and criminal gangs involved in illegal logging of pristine forests, to name a few.

To find the countries where the most people have died defending the climate, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on confirmed killings of land and environmental defenders around the world every year since 2012, published in the annual report by London-based non-governmental environmental justice organization Global Witness. Due to the difficulties of tracing every incident, these killings represent a massive undercount. We added population figures for the most recent year available from the World Bank. 

Global Witness has recorded 1,733 murders of land and environmental defenders from 2012 to 2021. The report also sheds light on who is being killed, who is doing the killing, and what sectors are fueling the violence. 

Of the 1,733 people confirmed to have been murdered for their activism in land use and environmental issues, 60% were either indigenous people, small-scale farmers, or both. An additional 13% of victims were park rangers or other government officials, journalists, or lawyers. The characteristics of the victims in about one in five of these murders are unknown.

Of those who committed these killings, about a third have been linked to armed forces, local police, or private military or security guards. About 27% of these perpetrators are categorized as hitmen or killers with links to local organized crime. The characteristics of about a third of these killers are unknown.

Mining and other related extraction activities was identified as the sector driver in 18% of these killings, while agribusiness, hydroelectric projects, and logging were the sector drivers in about one out of four of these murders. However, the sector drivers in half of these murders, 871, are unknown.

The most dangerous countries for environmental defenders are mostly located in Latin America. Seven of the 10 countries with the most confirmed murders of land and environment defenders are in this region. (Here are the countries facing the worst climate emergencies.)

Here are the countries where the most people have died in environmental activism.

Climate law’s costs trigger backlash, and election problems for Manchin

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Source: Drew Angerer / Getty Images

(Bill Sternberg is a veteran Washington journalist and former editorial page editor of USA Today.)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Callaway Climate Insights) — When Sen. Joe Manchin unexpectedly signed off last summer on the bold climate bill that was branded the Inflation Reduction Act, he compared it to “hitting a homer in the bottom of the ninth.” More recently, however, the West Virginia Democrat has been sounding like he wishes he’d struck out instead.

A primary reason for Manchin’s buyer’s remorse is the law’s skyrocketing price tag. At enactment, the cost of the climate-related provisions was pegged at $369 billion over 10 years. More recently, Credit Suisse estimated the price at $800 billion and Goldman Sachs put it at $1.2 trillion. Goldman forecast that tax credits for electric vehicles alone will cost $379 billion more than initially predicted and the incentives for green-energy manufacturing $156 billion more.

This level of government support for clean-energy investments is the greatest thing that has happened to climate tech. It could take the United States a long way toward meeting its targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. But it also creates a paradox: The more the climate law succeeds in spurring clean-energy investment, the more political danger the law will face. Cost overruns of this magnitude could harm Manchin politically, cause major problems for the Democratic Party and intensify efforts to roll back the IRA…

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By David Callaway

The Most Mysterious Places in the World

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Source: MikeMareen / iStock via Getty Images

There are many mysterious phenomena and locations on the planet, from haunted castles to flames that rise out of stone to what appears to be a waterfall of blood – and although some have reasonable explanations, they still incite myths, rumors, and folk legends.

24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of 45 of the most mysterious places on earth by reviewing dozens of travel sites and encyclopedic sources for information on natural wonders and man-made marvels that have mythical origins or offer unexplained experiences. Every continent is represented, as are some of the most remote islands in the world. (These are the most colorful natural wonders on earth.)

Some of the most mysterious places on earth are man-made, including secret military bases, haunted mansions, and eccentric architectural constructions. Others are natural wonders, including colorful acid lakes, deep underwater sinkholes, and strange rock formations. (There are many amazing sites in our own country. Here are stunning photos of America’s largest attractions.)

Click here to see the most mysterious places on Earth

A few of these places are the sites of mysterious disappearances while others harbor gravity-defying optical illusions. Local legends of hauntings, extra-terrestrials, and mythical creatures still surround some of these sites, many of which have become popular tourist attractions, drawing visitors with their perplexing or unsettling qualities.

California’s water deadline on Colorado River tests Newsom’s leadership

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Source: Kat72 / Getty Images

California’s game of legal chicken with other Western states over precious Colorado River water is finally on the clock.

As Callaway Climate Insights warned in February, the state’s unwillingness to craft a solution with six other states, especially Arizona, over the past few years this week led the federal government to set a formal deadline for a deal. Gov. Gavin Newsom and California have enjoyed senior legal rights to a bigger share of the water from the drying river and so have not been incentivized to find a solution.

Now, unless it can come up with a better idea than an even distribution of cuts with Arizona and other states, that is exactly what will be imposed on it. There is little chance the government will side with California’s legal status and force cuts of more than 50% to Arizona’s supply, which would essentially stop a primary flow of water to Phoenix and Tucson. Forgetting the humanitarian and economic disaster that would cause, just look at the politics. Arizona is a Biden swing state. California is not.

The Feds cleverly waited until the end of a very wet winter in California, with many reservoirs full after years of drought, to impose their deadline. The Department of the Interior wants a solution in place by August. And it’s calling Newsom’s bluff. Yes, there will be lawsuits, but in existential situations like this, governments don’t fool around. Look no further than Switzerland’s mandatory merger of UBS and Credit Suisse just last month to prevent a global banking crisis, as the government ran roughshod over laws and stakeholder rights alike.

The water wars are finally here, at least in the U.S. West. Prices are rising and a new economic reality is forming over what we once thought was an endless commodity. How Newsom and California react in the next 42 days will tell us a lot about his (its) potential to lead in a time of crisis.

Here’s how investors really behave at a ‘woke’ mutual fund firm

. . . . Despite the war on ‘woke’ by conservatives targeting ESG investing at mutual fund firms, few investors appear to be directing more than a fraction of their portfolios to environmental, social and governance strategies, writes Mark Hulbert. Citing recent surveys of investors at Vanguard, one of the largest fund companies and a primary woke target of red state leaders, Hulbert found most investors have less than 1% of their assets in funds or ETFs marketing themselves as ESG. How this compares to fossil fuels and what it means for climate-conscious investors going forward leads to some surprising conclusions. . . .

Read the full column

Thursday’s subscriber-only insights

. . . . Call it the tale of two transmission lines. While a 732-mile project in the American West has been given the go-ahead, the fate of a 145-mile power cable in Maine that would deliver clean power from Quebec to New England is now in the hands of a jury after a years-long tussle between planners and environmentalists. The latter is an example of the many barriers to creating an efficient system to distribute clean energy. Read more. . . .

. . . . Still think that oil stock portfolio left to you by Grandpa is worth keeping? You might want to look at the EPA’s report released Wednesday that says Americans could stand to save up to $1.1 trillion on gasoline prices should the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to impose the toughest-ever auto emissions standards be adopted. Yes, gas pumps will be on the way out — and along with them oil company profits. Read more here. . . .

Editor’s picks: Wildfires in N.J.; cost may stall switch to EVs

New Jersey wildfire

Gusty winds, warm temperatures, low humidity and dried-out fuel: the perfect recipe for deadly wildfires, and something people in the west and southwest have become accustomed to worrying about and being prepared for. But in New Jersey? Amid record high temps in the Northeast this week, a wildfire in southern New Jersey scorched 4,000 acres in just 24 hours. According to a report from CNN citing the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, this one fire had burned more than half the average acres burned in New Jersey in an entire year as of Wednesday. No injuries had been reported but as the fire blazed, the National Weather Service issued red-flag warnings for 20 states and said dry, windy conditions like those in New Jersey are spiking the risk for wildfires across the U.S.

Even with tax credits, EV sales could stall

Only 8% of U.S. adults say they or someone in their household owns or leases an electric vehicle, and just 8% say their household has a plug-in hybrid vehicle, according to the results of a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. The AP reports that “even with tax credits of up to $7,500 to buy a new EV, it could be difficult to persuade drivers to ditch their gas-burning cars and trucks for vehicles without tailpipe emissions.” But at least 4 in 10 U.S. adults say they are at least somewhat likely to switch to an electric vehicle when they buy their next car. About half — 47% — say it’s not likely they would go electric, and more than half of those folks cited the high cost as a reason.

Can the financial sector take the heat?

In this Federal Reserve Bank of New York staff report titled Climate Stress Testing, the authors explore the design of climate stress tests to assess and manage macroprudential risks from climate change in the financial sector. This staff report highlights the need to consider many transition risks as dynamic policy choices, better understand and incorporate feedback loops between climate change and the economy, and  further explore compound risk scenarios in which climate risks co-occur with other risks. In addition to identifying needed aspects of additional research, they also discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of using market-based climate stress tests that can be conducted using publicly available data to complement existing stress testing frameworks. Authors: Viral V. Acharya, New York University; Richard Berner, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, NYU; Robert F. Engle, NYU, National Bureau of Economic Research; Hyeyoon Jung, Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Johannes Stroebel, NYU, NBER, Centre for Economic Policy Research; Xuran Zeng, NYU; Yihao Zhao, NYU.

Words to live by . . . .

“April is a dog’s dream. The soft grass is growing, the sweet breeze is blowing and the air all full of singing feels just right.” — Marilyn Singer, author.

By David Callaway

The Worst Epidemics and Pandemics in History

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Source: ManuelVelasco / E+ via Getty Images

Infectious diseases have plagued humankind throughout history. When small bands of hunter-gatherers contracted an illness, it might have remained relatively contained; but as agrarian societies allowed for more heavily concentrated populations, these diseases could cause widespread damage. Trade routes between urban centers now became superhighways for the transmission of pathogens.

24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of the 20 worst epidemics and pandemics in history. An epidemic is defined as the widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time. A pandemic is an epidemic that crosses international boundaries and affects a large number of people in multiple countries or worldwide.

Pandemics such as the Black Death, which wiped out 60% of the population of Europe, are capable of dramatically altering the course of history. They have devastated economies, toppled civilizations, ended empires. Here are great cities that came back after being nearly destroyed.

Over a million people died in each of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history. Smallpox, bubonic plague, and influenza were responsible for many of the pandemics. Luckily, due to worldwide vaccination efforts, smallpox was eradicated in 1980 — the only infection known to have been eliminated worldwide. 

Click here to read about the 20 worst epidemics and pandemics in history

Although the COVID-19 pandemic is still killing people every day worldwide, vaccination efforts have helped bring the current pandemic to an end. But the rapidly spreading new “Arcturus” COVID strain has been detected in at least 20 states.

Unfortunately, there will almost certainly be more calamitous epidemics and pandemics in the future. We can only hope that medical science will be able to keep up.

Here’s how investors really behave at a ‘woke’ mutual fund firm

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Source: RoniMeshulamAbramovitz / iStock via Getty Images

(Mark Hulbert, an author and longtime investment columnist, is the founder of the Hulbert Financial Digest; his Hulbert Ratings audits investment newsletter returns.)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Callaway Climate Insights) — Climate-focused investors have their work cut out for them if they hope the markets can be used to pressure corporations into being more climate friendly. Despite a huge increase in recent years in the number of ESG-focused funds and ETFs, a surprisingly small proportion of investors allocate any of their equity portfolios to them.

This is particularly the case at Vanguard, even though it is one of the largest asset management firms that have been in conservatives’ crosshairs for allegedly being “woke.” Despite this reputation, a new study reports that just 3.5% of the firm’s clients allocate any of their portfolios to ESG mutual funds or ETFs. And even among those who do have such an allocation, it is relatively small: On average across all Vanguard investors, the portfolio allocation to ESG-focused funds is just 0.4%…

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By David Callaway

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