Catastrophic Losses at Their Highest for Four Years

The numbers by themselves don't reflect the cost in misery to people and families. See this from the insurance industry, Natural catastrophe losses at their highest for four years. We need to remember what a destroyed home means to the people who lived there. A lost brother, sister, mother or father as a statistic means little when compared to the families who lost those individuals.

Always remember to go past just the numbers and think about the people impacted by the disaster. Then think about how we might do a better job of alerting governments, businesses and individuals to the risks they face, but ignore every day.

In the coming weeks climate change will surely be debated more back in Washington, D.C. Is there an absolute link between weather-related disasters and a warming climate, a proof positive that one leads to the next? Today we have to say no. There is only anecdotal information to support the conclusion of a relationship between the two. 

The linked report above went as far as to say this; “A look at the weather-related catastrophes of 2016 shows the potential effects of unchecked climate change. Of course, individual events themselves can never be attributed directly to climate change. But there are now many indications that certain events, such as persistent weather systems or storms bringing torrential rain and hail, are more likely to occur in certain regions as a result of climate change,” explained Peter Höppe, head of Munich Re’s Geo Risks Research Unit.

Claire Rubin shared the link above.