Sustainability Magazine January 2026 Issue 63 | Page 69

Health in extreme weather events Extreme weather events in 2024, combined with delays in adaptation, caused at least 16,000 deaths and impacted at least 166 million people, the report says.
It is estimated that these events led to the displacement of more than 800,000 people.
Research cited in the report found that anthropogenic climate change increased the intensity or probability of occurrence of at least 26 of the most impactful extreme weather events in 2024.
These impacts jointly account for more than 3,700 deaths. A recordbreaking 61 % of global land area was affected by extreme drought in 2024, 299 % above the average in the 1950s.
MORE THAN

US $ 1tn

in global potential income losses due to heat exposure

US $ 304bn

in losses from weather-related extreme events in 2024

154,000

deaths from wildfire smoke air pollution in 2024