Earth Science News
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
US climate agency stops tracking costly natural disasters
US climate agency stops tracking costly natural disasters
by AFP Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) May 8, 2025

US President Donald Trump's administration will stop updating a long-running database of costly climate and weather disasters as part of its deep cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to a Thursday announcement.

The database, which spans the years 1980-2024, has allowed researchers, the media and the public to keep a tally of events ranging from wildfires to hurricanes that caused losses exceeding $1 billion, adjusted for inflation.

"In alignment with evolving priorities, statutory mandates, and staffing changes, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information will no longer be updating the Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters product," a banner on the landing page said. Past years will remain archived.

From 1980 to 2024, the United States experienced 403 weather and climate disasters with damages exceeding $1 billion each, adjusted to 2024 dollars. The cumulative cost of these events surpassed $2.9 trillion.

A time-series chart shows that while there is year-to-year variation, the overall number of billion-dollar disasters is rising sharply, driven by climate destabilization linked to fossil fuel emissions.

"Hiding many billions in costs is Trump's latest move to leave Americans in the dark about climate disasters," said Maya Golden-Krasner of the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute.

"Trump's climate agenda is to leave people unsafe and unprepared while oil companies pocket record profits," Golden-Krasner added. "The pressure is on for leaders with integrity to keep counting the costs of climate disasters and hold polluters accountable for the damage."

Trump, who withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement on day one of his second term, has pursued aggressive rollbacks of climate-focused institutions.

His administration appears to be following "Project 2025," a blueprint authored by right-wing think tanks that labels NOAA a key source of "climate alarmism."

NOAA has since undergone mass layoffs affecting roughly 20 percent of its workforce, and the White House is seeking to slash the agency's annual budget by $1.5 billion -- nearly a quarter of its total funding.

The move follows another major blow to federal climate science: the dismissal of more than 400 authors behind the National Climate Assessment, a report mandated by Congress and considered the government's foremost climate evaluation.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
A world of storm and tempest
When the Earth Quakes

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Gazans struggling to survive as Israel plans for 'conquest'
Gaza City, Palestinian Territories (AFP) May 5, 2025
Israel's plan for the "conquest" of Gaza has sparked renewed fears, but for many of the territory's residents, the most immediate threat to their lives remains the spectre of famine amid a months-long Israeli blockade. The plan to expand military operations, approved by Israel's security cabinet overnight, includes holding territories in the besieged Gaza Strip and moving the population south "for their protection", an Israeli official said. But Gaza residents told AFP that they did not expect t ... read more

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Five dead, two missing in Colombia landslide

Jordan hospital treats war casualties from across Middle East

US climate agency stops tracking costly natural disasters

Gazans struggling to survive as Israel plans for 'conquest'

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Web archivists scrambling to save US public data from deletion

SMART Launches WISDOM Research Group for Next-Generation 3D-Sensing Technologies

China cracks down on smuggling to enforce rare earth export controls

System lets robots identify an object's properties through handling

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Spongy Device Draws Water from Air Using Sunlight for Efficient Harvesting

Only a Tiny Fraction of Deep Seafloor Mapped Over Seven Decades

Nigeria fishing river reels from changing climate

David Attenborough urges 'save the oceans' as new film premieres

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Glacier in West Antarctica Engages in Rapid Ice Piracy

Thawing permafrost dots Siberia with rash of mounds

Ice cores from tropics challenge Holocene temperature models

Summer 2024 was Lapland's warmest in 2,000 years: study

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Atmospheric Memory Effect Discovered as Key Mechanism in Monsoon Rainfall

Tobacco town thrives as China struggles to kick the habit

After Catastrophe Urban and Peri-Urban Farming Could Sustain Medium-Sized Cities

Startup helps farmers grow plant-based feed and fertilizer using wastewater

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Floods in eastern DR Congo kill more than 100: local officials; Somalia floods kill seven, displace 200 families

Over 45,000 affected by Somalia flash floods since mid-April: UN

Belgian mother and son die in Jordan floods: authorities

Jordan evacuates tourists from Petra after flood hits

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
On patrol for jihadists with Mauritania's camel cavalry

Burkina leader seeks stronger military ties with Russia

Strike on Sudan's Darfur kills 14 members of one family: rescuers

Jihadists disrupt crucial wood supplies in Niger capital

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Versatile Call Combinations in Chimpanzees May Shed Light on the Evolution of Human Language

Sunscreen and shelter strategies may have shielded early humans from solar radiation

'Toxic beauty': Rise of 'looksmaxxing' influencers

'Toxic beauty': Rise of 'looksmaxxing' influencers

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.