Worst Climate-Related Disasters Since 2010

When environmental temperatures become too high, coral, a living organism, expels symbiotic algae that typically live inside it and provide it with nutrients. This results in a bleaching event, increasing the risk of coral death. Between 2015 and 2017, a global coral bleaching event affected 75% of coral reefs, including the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Coral death has a significant, negative impact on oceanic ecosystems and the thousands of species that depend on it.

In 2015, a heat wave hit India and Pakistan, reaching over 120°F and leading to the deaths of 4,000 people. According to the World Meteorological Organization, climate change made this event 30 times more likely. Delayed beginning of the monsoon season, lack of soil moisture, and urbanization further enhanced the devastation of the heat wave.

According to the National Hurricane Center, moisture from Hurricane Joaquin contributed to coastal, historic flooding in Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina. The event closed down a major highway and devastated local homes and businesses, resulting in 19 deaths and over $1.4 billion in damage.

North Carolina experienced severe flooding in 2016, after it was hit by Hurricane Matthew. The storm brought excessive rainfall and a storm surge several feet above normal tidal levels, destroying thousands of structures and downing trees and power lines in both Carolinas. According to The National Weather Service, the flooding was responsible for 25 deaths in North Carolina alone. The storm and flooding caused an estimated $10.3 billion in damage..

Hurricane Harvey was a record-breaking storm. It brought more extreme rainfall than any other tropical cyclone to hit the U.S. and was the second most costly, only topped by Hurricane Katrina. The storm’s extremely slow pace led to massive flooding across Texas, causing 68 deaths, $130 billion in damage, and evacuations of tens of thousands residents.