Call for action as cost of climate disasters soars

HEATWAVES, droughts, wildfires and storms cost the world more than $120bn this year, as climate disasters worsen, a report warns.

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Beach-front homes destroyed by the Palisades blaze in Malibu, California, in January 15 this year

The annual assessment from charity Christian Aid outlined the 10 most expensive climate disasters, each of which cost more than $1bn (£750m) in insured losses.

The single costliest disaster was the $60bn Palisades and Eaton wildfires in California in January, which ripped through neighbourhoods and destroyed homes and businesses, with more than 400 deaths linked to the blazes.

The second most expensive climate disaster was a cluster of cyclones, extreme monsoon rainfall and flooding that hit Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Malaysia in November, racking up insured losses of $25bn and costing more than 1,750 lives.