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Russia: state of emergency

In 2010, a heat wave claimed 15,000 lives, with 7,000 deaths in Moscow alone. A state of emergency was declared in seven Russian regions, where tens of thousands of hectares of land was destroyed by fire, and hundreds of people were uprooted from their homes. As Russia’s grain output was slashed by 40%, a grain export ban was imposed.

China: floods

Flood waters from southwest to northeast China, including the municipality of Chongqing, shown here, led to the evacuation of 15 million people by the end of August 2010. Over 3,000 people died, and damage was estimated at over $50 billion.

Australia: floods

December 2010 was the wettest on record for Queensland. The floods that resulted in January 2011 led to at least 22 deaths and affected more than 200,000 people. Taking into account the impact on the Australian economy, the cost is estimated in the region of $30 billion.

Pakistan: floods

Pakistan’s monsoon rains in late July 2010 were unusually heavy, with 300 mm falling over the headwaters of the Indus in 24 hours. As the water moved downstream over the subsequent weeks, an estimated fifth of the country was inundated. More than 1,600 people were killed, and about 20 million displaced. Preliminary estimates placed the total damage at $15 billion.

24–25 Polar Changes; 26–27 Shrinking Glaciers; 28–29 Ocean Changes; 30–31 Everyday Extremes

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