The year 2022 witnessed a severe increase in climate disasters across the globe. The developing and vulnerable nations, in particular, bore the brunt of these catastrophes, leading to escalating calls for climate finance at COP27.
Pakistan: Floods and Heat Waves
Pakistan recorded a steep 62% fall in normal rainfall during March 2022, followed by an unusually warm April preceding the monsoon season. This led to a rapid melting of glaciers and swelling of rivers. Regrettably, around 33 million citizens found accessibility to essential resources severely restricted. June to September saw extreme rainfall, triggering unprecedented floods and devastating the lives of millions. The catastrophe resulted in over 1,500 casualties, displacement of millions, and widespread health issues such as skin infections, malaria and diarrhoea.
US: Hurricane Ian
Towards the end of September 2022, warm ocean waters in the Gulf of Mexico catalysed Hurricane Ian in the US, making it one of the most potent hurricanes in recent history. The hurricane claimed 101 lives and led to monetary losses exceeding USD 100 billion. This was the most expensive climate-driven disaster of the year, bringing intense floods, heavy rains, and powerful winds to southwestern Florida.
Europe: Severe Droughts
Europe faced two extreme heat waves in June and July 2022, claiming close to 16,000 lives. Water levels in major rivers such as the Rhine, Po, Loire, and Danube severely depleted, with dry conditions persisting across the continent. Spain and Portugal, in particular, encountered the driest weather in 1,200 years due to the blocking of wet weather outlets by an atmospheric high-pressure system called Azores high.
India: Daily Natural Disasters
India recorded “extreme weather events on 241 of 273 days” in the first nine months of 2022. Thunderstorms, persistent rains, cyclones, droughts, heat waves, lightning, floods, and landslides regularly punctuated these months. States like Himachal Pradesh, Assam, and Madhya Pradesh were the worst hit. The natural disasters claimed around 2,755 lives, affected 1.8 million hectares of crop area, destroyed over 416,667 houses, and killed nearly 70,000 livestock.
Outcomes of COP27
The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27 held in Glasgow led to several crucial decisions towards combating climate change. It agreed to provide “loss and damage” funding to vulnerable countries, launched a five-year work program promoting climate technology solutions, and initiated a mitigation work program aimed at boosting mitigation ambition and implementation.
Ambitious Targets Set
At the conference, governments were urged to revisit and strengthen their 2030 climate targets by the end of 2023, accelerate efforts to phase down unabated coal power, and phase-out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. Also, the Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda was outlined, envisaging 30 adaptation outcomes to augment resilience for 4 billion people in the most climate-vulnerable communities by 2030.
Initiatives Launched
Several initiatives were launched at COP27 to tackle climate change issues. The Action on Water Adaptation and Resilience Initiative (AWARe) was launched, reflecting the importance of water as a critical climate change challenge and solution. The African Carbon Market Initiative (ACMI) was initiated to stimulate the growth of carbon credit production and foster job creation in Africa. Furthermore, the Global Renewables Alliance was established to unify all technologies required for the energy transition, thereby ensuring an accelerated energy transition.
Last Modified: February 18, 2024