Introduction
During the past year the impact of climate change has increasingly been made evident by a growing number of extreme weather events around the world. In Post 43 we asked Climate Scorecard Country Managers to file a 2021 climate change weather report for their countries.
We asked them to describe the nature of their country’s 2021 extreme weather events; what were they? when did they occur and where? what impact did they have on their country’s environment? We also asked them to rate their country’s ability to respond to extreme weather events according to a four-point scale:
Four Stars (****): Outstanding
Three stars (***): Good
Two stars (**): Fair
One star (*): Unprepared
A Summary Table of country reports and ratings is provided below, followed by detailed country reports. As you will see, the capacity of many countries to adapt and respond to extreme weather events is rated fair to poor. This is a cause for concern given the increased frequency of climate induced extreme weather events across our planet.
| Country | 2021 Weather Events | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Floods and droughts | **: Fair |
| Canada | Major rainstorms, tornadoes, hail, wildfires | **: Fair |
| China | Torrential rains, extreme heat | **: Fair |
| EU | Major floods and heatwaves | **: Fair |
| France | Warm winter, cool spring and summer | ****: Outstanding |
| Germany | Deadly floods | **: Fair |
| India | Melting glaciers, devastating cyclones, extreme heat waves | ****: Outstanding |
| Italy | Extreme heatwaves, wildfires | *: Unprepared |
| Japan | Heavy rain, extreme heat | ***: Good |
| Mexico | Severe drought | ***: Good |
| Nigeria | Devastating floods | *: Unprepared |
| Russia | Extreme heat, wildfires | *: Unprepared |
| Saudi Arabia | Unusually heavy rainfall | *: Unprepared |
| South Korea | Loss of Spring and Autumn seasons | ****: Outstanding |
| Spain | Winter storms followed by dry Spring | ***: Good |
| Turkey | Extreme heat and forest fires | ***: Good |
| United Kingdom | Sets records for warmest and wettest year | **: Fair |
| Ukraine | Breaks record for highest and lowest temperature | *: Unprepared |
| United States | Floods, droughts, tornadoes | **: Fair |
Country Reports
Brazil Suffered from Two Extreme Weather Events in 2021: Floods and Droughts
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Brazil Country Manager Elis Cotosky Brazil Suffered from Two Extreme Weather Events in 2021: Floods and Droughts In June 2021, the Northern part of Brazil (where the Amazon Rainforest is located) was hit with floods. Amazon was the most affected state and its capital, Manaus, had the…
Catastrophic Climate Change Related Weather Events Increase Loss of Life, Financial Loss, and Damage to Infrastructure and Property
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Canada Country Manager Diane SzollerDuring the past year, the impact of climate change has increasingly been made evident by a series of extreme weather events around the world. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) confirms impacts including heat waves, wildfires, flooding, sea ice loss, and heavy rains, icing,…
China Is Getting Hotter and Wetter in Both Urban and Coastal Areas
China continues to get hotter and wetter, troublingly not just along the coastal cities used to annual typhoons. Flooding caused by torrential rains and typhoons have started to increasingly hit China’s inland and Northern cities. In July, torrential rains unloading the equivalent of a year’s worth of rainfall in just three days caused major flooding…
Major Floods and Heat Waves are Cause for Concern in the EU
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard EU Regional Manager Britany Demogenes One of the most recent EU severe weather events that took global headlines by storm was the extreme flooding that occurred in Germany in mid-July. The intensity and scale of the floods shocked climate scientists, who did not expect for records to…
In France: Above Average Temperatures in Winter; Below Average Temperatures in Spring
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard France Country Manager Astrid NouvelletA Warm Winter France’s most recent winter was on average 1.2°C warmer than usual, with a 30% excess of rainfall compared to other years. The Bella storm hit the north of France on December 27th and crossed the entire country with strong winds. There…
Germany Has Seen the Deadliest Floods in Decades
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Germany Country Manager Zahi BadraThis July, Germany experienced the deadliest floods in decades. Heavy and unexpected rains on Germany’s western borders tragically took the lives of 177 people, disconnected more than 200,000 people from electricity and communication networks for days, and left thousands homeless. This is the worst…
India Battles Deadly Cyclones, Floods, Glacial Collapse, and Sweltering Heat Waves in 2021
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard India Country Manager Pooran Chandra PandeyWhile the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be the largest public crisis in living memory, 2021 has been marred by another global catastrophe – extreme weather events and climate catastrophes. India has been no exception to the unfolding extreme weather. Swathes of India are…
Extreme Weather Events, Almost One Per Day in 2021, Show Italy’s Unpreparedness and Mismanagement
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Italy Country Manager Andrea Bruno Extreme Weather Events, Almost One Per Day in 2021, Show Italy’s Unpreparedness and Mismanagement Italy has seen a sharp increase in natural disasters with more than 1,400 extreme weather events registered in 2021 (+65%), including floods, storms, heatwaves, and fires. This is…
Heavy Rain Along Japan’s Coast and Extreme Heat Disrupts the Tokyo Olympics
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Japan Country Manager Yun Tzu-Lin In July, Japan suffered from heavy rain that caused devastating flooding and landslides, especially in the coastal city of Atami. As the Japan Meteorological Agency finds, this is part of a trend of increasingly frequent extreme weather events where the occurrence of rainfall…
Mexico Has Seen Increase in Severe Drought Over Last Few Years
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Mexico Country Manager Pablo David Necoechea Porras The last few years have seen an increase in extreme weather conditions affecting Mexico. Climate change has led to a series of severe natural consequences for the country, including drought in various parts of the nation and acidity on its…
Winter Season of Storms in Spain Followed by the Driest Spring in the Last 15 Years
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Spain Country Manager Wendy ParedesDuring the last year, in Spain and throughout the world, the impact of climate change has been made increasingly evident by a series of consequential meteorological phenomena. The following is a meteorological report on climate change for 2021 in Spain.Spain extreme weather events in…
Flooding in Nigeria Has Paralyzed Economic Activity in Several States and Lagos
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Nigeria Country Manager Peter HansenOver the last handful of years in Nigeria, floods have been devastating multiple regions in the country. Throughout 2020, flooding directly affected more than 2 million people in Nigeria, including 69 deaths. In 2019, there was 158 deaths with over 200,000 people affected. This…
Siberia’s 2021 fires were stronger than the fires in Greece, Turkey, Italy, the United States, and Canada combined
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Russia Country Manager Michael Oshchepkov Throughout the past year, the impact of climate change has increasingly become evident by a series of extreme weather events around the world—Russia is no exception. Climate change is accelerating in the country as we speak and local residents are facing unprecedented…
Saudi Arabia Experienced Unusually Heavy Rainfall Events in 2021
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Saudi Arabia Country Managers Abeer Abdulkareem and Amgad Ellaboudy Saudi Arabia has experienced three heavy rainfall events, with one being particularly deadly during 2021. On February 6 of this year, heavy rains fell on Tabuk Province in northwest Saudi Arabia causing street flooding; several people were trapped…
South Korea Improves Its Extreme Weather Forecasting Capabilities
This post was submitted by Climate Scorecard South Korea Country Manager Jitae ChangSouth Korea is no exception to global trends toward extreme weather events. The country is losing its spring and autumn seasons, which has serious consequences for their agriculture and fishing industries. In some places, the agricultural industry has had no choice but to…
Extreme Temperatures and Forest Fires in Turkey Reflect Climate Change
This Post is submitted by Climate Scorecard Turkey Country Manager Semih Ergur Turkey’s land mass is an area of 770,000 km2 extending from Caucasus to Thrace situated between the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, and Mediterranean Sea with its highest altitude reaching 5150 m. Although the weather conditions vary from region to region, there are…
2020 Was the 3rd Warmest, 5th Wettest, and 8th Sunniest Ever Recorded in the UK
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard UK Country Managers Thomas Christensen and Gwen WrenThe first half of 2021 has spelled numerous climate-induced natural disasters in the United Kingdom, including extreme heat, rainstorms, and flooding. In June and July, the Meteorological Office (the country’s national weather service) issued an extreme heat advisory. Temperature records that…
Ukraine Breaks Records for Highest and Lowest Temperatures in 2021
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Ukraine Country Manager Anastasiia BushovskaThe unusual weather events in Ukraine throughout 2021 were mostly related to record-breaking temperatures (for both highest and lowest records). May had a mean monthly temperature of 12.4 °C, an average 2.8 °C cooler than the climate norm. Mid-May was also marked by sudden…
US Sees Increase in Severe Storms and Billion Dollar Weather Events in 2021
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard United States Country Manager Nathan HolmanAs the climate changes, so does the weather. Flooding, storms, and other extreme events are perhaps the most visceral marker of the danger we face as global average temperature continues to near 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels.Billion-Dollar Weather Events Since the start…