What is the trend in economic losses from climate-related extremes?

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Eurostat has released a new section on its website dedicated to climate change. It brings together statistics from various domains, such as environmental, social and economic statistics, in an easily accessible and structured way, to help you find data to better understand, analyze and monitor climate change.

Climate change concerns all of us. We need statistics on this subject to help us analyse the drivers, impacts and adaptation to climate change. Also, these statistics provide a wealth of interesting information – just read for yourself:
Do you know for example how much your and all the other households in the EU contribute to CO2 emissions, which are one of the main drivers of climate change?
In 2016, households in the EU generated around a quarter of the total direct carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions produced in the EU, amounting to 1.7 tonnes per person. The lowest value was registered in Bulgaria (0.3 t/person) and the highest in Luxembourg (2.9 t/person).

And how do you “produce” these CO2 emissions?
More than half (55%) of the CO2 emissions of EU households in 2016 came from transport activities, such as taking the car to work or a plane to go on holiday. A further 44% came from households heating their home. The remaining 1% was generated by other activities, such as emissions from spray cans and electric lawn mowers.

Eurostat included in the aforementioned section dedicated to climate change the analyses and statistics related to economic losses from climate-related extremes realized for the European Environment Agency (EEA) by the CMCC research team lead by Jaroslav Mysiak, RAAS Division Director, in the framework of ETC/CCA acxtivities.

So, what is the trend in economic losses from climate-related extremes?
Over the period 1980-2016, the total reported economic losses caused by weather and climate-related extremes in the EEA member countries amounted to approximately EUR 436 billion (at 2016 values).
Between 1980 and 2016, natural disasters caused by weather and climate-related extremes accounted for some 83% of the monetary losses in the EU Member States. Throughout these 37 years, weather and climate-related losses accounted for a total of EUR 410 billion (at 2016 values).
In the EU, the most expensive climate extremes in the period analysed include the 2002 flood in Central Europe (over EUR 20 billion), the 2003 drought and heat wave (almost EUR 15 billion), and the 1999 winter storm and October 2000 flood in Italy and France (EUR 13 billion), all at 2016 values.

For further information, take a look at the new Eurostat section on climate change.

The Climate related economic losses by type of event database, realized for EEA with the contribution of CMCC researchers.

Eurostat press realese.

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