2021 – Freeze, fry, flood and fire


2016: Tree cover loss spikes in Brazil’s Amazonian region

Jun-Oct 2021: Fires in Canada and U.S. burn more than 7 million hectares
     
2005-2020: Forest loss equivalent to 31 gigatonnes* of CO2
    
Primary forest loss (Millions of hectares)
3.33 2.81 2.90 2.71 2.80 3.30 2.75 3.60 2.64 3.59 2.93 6.13 5.00 3.65 3.75 4.21 >7

2005	  2007	    2009      2011 	2013	  2015	    2017      2019 	2021


Jan 7-9, 2021. Storm Filomena: Record-breaking levels of snow fall over parts of Portugal and Spain. Heaviest snowfall in 50 years kills five people and causes damage estimated at US$2.2 billion
 
Jan 28-31. Cyclone Ana: Category two storm slams into South Pacific islands of Fiji with winds up to 140km/h and 500mm of rain. More than 7,600 people take shelter in evacuation centres during widespread flooding

Feb 11-20. Valentine’s week storms: More than 4.2 million people across U.S. south-central states left without electricity. Temperatures drop to -11°C in Houston, Texas. Death toll officially put at 223

Mar 15. Duststorm: Worst sandstorm in 10 years hits China’s capital, Beijing, pushing air pollution levels to 160 times recommended limits
  
Mar 17-26. East Australia: Worst flooding in six decades – in single week some 81,900 billion litres of water fall in New South Wales

Apr 3-12. Cyclone Seroja: At least 272 people killed when tropical cyclone devastates Indonesia, East Timor and Western Australia

Jun-Oct. Wildfires: Canada and U.S. endure summer of catastrophic fires, with more than seven million hectares of land burned.
In Canada alone, 4.2 million hectares of wildlands are lost – 61% more than 10-year average.
On June 29, temperature in Lytton, British Columbia hits 49.6°C – all-time Canadian record

Jun 22. Heatwave: Russian capital, Moscow, reports highest temperature in 100 years, with mercury hitting 34.7°C. Average June temperatures are three degrees higher than normal

Jun-Jul. Pacific heat dome: Extreme heat wave hits Western North America, caused by rising Pacific ocean temperatures

July 14-15. European floods: Western Europe receives up to two months worth of intense rainfall in two days. Severe flooding claims 242 lives, with 184 deaths in hardest-hit Germany. Damage expected to exceed $10 billion

Jul 21-Aug 9. Wildfires: Greek islands of Evia and Rhodes, as well as forests north and southeast of Athens and parts of Peloponnese peninsula ravaged. Most severe heat wave in decades sees temperatures reach over 40°C


*1 gigatonne = 1000,000,000 tonnes
       

Sources: World Resources Institute, Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Natural Resources Canada, UN Pictures: Getty Images 
© GRAPHIC NEWS