Date post: | 26-Jun-2015 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | jane-bevis |
View: | 52 times |
Download: | 1 times |
Coping with extreme weather events
Jane Milne
Climate Change Leader
Association of British Insurers
Extreme weather events appear to be more commonplace
Extreme weather impacts
Extreme weather events destroy and disrupt
•We are not set up to cope with the immediate and long run effects of severe weather events•‘Modern’ living is MORE vulnerable to weather events, not less•The way we use new technology has increased susceptibility, not reduced it
Climate change and extreme events
• 2003 heatwave will be ‘normal’ by mid century
• Sea level rise and storminess could make coastal flooding 10-20 times more frequent
• More intense rainfall events could increase urban flooding damage by factor of 10-15
• Tropical windstorm effects predicted to increase intensity of storms – damage up by 66-75% in US and Japan
Megacities facing natural hazard risks (50 most economically important global cities)
Natural Hazard High hazard risk
Medium hazard risk
Low hazard risk
Tropical storm 6 2 9
Winter storm 3 6 8
Thunderstorm hailstorm or tornado
0 36 14
Flood 2 21 26
Storm surge 2 9 12
If we learn to adapt……….