Climate Change Vulnerability Around the World, Part 5 of a Multi-part Series

The 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season inflicted extensive damage, costing the United States hundreds of billions of dollars. The devastation caused by Hurricane Helene was indescribable, with North Carolina, the most brutally hit area, reporting at least 117 deaths.

In September 2023, a massive landslide in Greenland caused the collapse of a mountain, an event that went unwitnessed by humans. Researchers estimated that 25 million cubic meters of rock and ice tumbled into the fjord ‒ enough to fill 10,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The effects of global warming have been especially evident in Central Asia, a region that’s home to thousands of glaciers and is now experiencing a surge in extreme weather events. Scientists warn that the rapid melting of these glaciers could pose a ticking time bomb threat to the inhabitants of this landlocked area, which already grapples with water scarcity.

A new study examining the link between global warming and drought suggests that Spain is shifting toward a desert climate. By 2050, the “cold” steppe climate is expected to dominate mainland Spain, covering approximately 40 percent and gradually replacing the typical Mediterranean climate, according to researchers.

A new report from a coalition of environmental groups also states that climate change is increasingly impacting France and is expected to worsen. Rising sea levels bring the additional threat of coastal erosion. Approximately 130,000 people in the region are already at risk of submersion, particularly in Saint-Malo, where 25,000 residents live below sea level.

According to Bloomberg Intelligence, Asia Insurance Review reported that Typhoon Bebinca could result in economic losses of up to US$1.4 billion in Shanghai. The combined effects of Bebinca, tropical depression Gener, and the southwest monsoon led to 20 fatalities and impacted nearly 600,000 people across the Philippines’s 12 regions.