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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Fiona Harvey Environment editor

Cyclones, floods and wildfires among 2025’s costliest climate-related disasters

Uprooted trees remain after flood waters have receded in Sumatra
Uprooted trees remain after flood waters have receded in Aceh, northern Sumatra, on 14 December. Photograph: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images

Cyclones and floods in south-east Asia this autumn killed more than 1,750 people and caused more than $25bn (£19bn) in damage, while the death toll from California wildfires topped 400 people, with $60bn in damage, according to research on the costliest climate-related disasters of the year.

China’s devastating floods, in which thousands of people were displaced, were the third most expensive, causing about $12bn in damage, with at least 30 lives lost.

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