NEW DELHI: Top 10 extreme weather events such as wildfires, heatwaves, floods and cyclonic storms cost the world more than $122 billion in 2025, said a report – Counting the Cost 2025 – released by a global not-for-profit organisation, Christian Aid. Exceptionally heavy monsoon rainfall experienced by large parts of India and Pakistan from June to Sept is listed as one of the 10 most expensive and impactful climate disasters in the year.The extreme rainfall events in India and Pakistan, put together, took at least 1,860 lives and cost a combined total of $5.6 billion. Though the region comes at fifth in the list of 10 in terms of suffering financial loss, it reported the highest number of casualties.Globally, the US – the largest historical carbon emitter – bore the brunt with the fires in California topping the list as the single biggest one-off event at $60 billion in damage (nearly 50% of the total cost globally) and leading to the deaths of more than 400 people.
The annual report of Christian Aid, released on Saturday, underlined that most of these estimates are based only on “insured losses”, meaning the true financial costs are likely to be even higher, while the human costs are often uncounted. Second on the list after the US were the cyclones and floods that struck Southeast Asia in Nov, causing $25 billion in damage and killing more than 1,750 people across Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Malaysia. Third were the devastating floods in China which displaced thousands, caused $11.7 billion in damage and killed at least 30.
“These disasters are not ‘natural’ — they are the inevitable result of continued fossil fuel expansion and political delay. While the costs run into the billions, the heaviest burden falls on communities with the least resources to recover. Unless govts act now to cut emissions and fund adaptation measures, this misery will only continue,” said Joanna Haigh, emeritus professor of Atmospheric Physics, Imperial College London.Though the top 10 focuses on financial costs, which are usually higher in richer countries because they have higher property values and can afford insurance, some of the most devastating extreme weather events this year hit poorer nations, which have contributed little to causing the climate crisis and have the least resources to respond.“The suffering caused by the climate crisis is a political choice. It is being driven by decisions to continue burning fossil fuels, to allow emissions to rise, and to break promises on climate finance,” said Patrick Watt, Christian Aid CEO, while urging world leaders to act in 2026. Go to Source
