A new report has laid bare the staggering financial and human cost of extreme weather events across the globe in 2025, with floods and wildfires leading the list of the most devastating and expensive disasters.
Global Toll: Billions in Losses, Thousands of Lives
In its annual analysis of climate-related disasters, the relief and development charity Christian Aid has disclosed that the ten worst events of the year resulted in insured losses exceeding $120 billion. The findings highlight a planet under severe stress from a changing climate.
The organisation pointed to specific catastrophes that defined the year. In South-East Asia during autumn, a series of cyclones and floods led to a tragic loss of more than 1,750 lives and inflicted damage estimated at over $25 billion. Meanwhile, across the Pacific, wildfires in California proved even more costly in financial terms, with damages hitting $60 billion and a death toll surpassing 400 people.
Nigeria's Unprecedented Flooding Crisis
The report brings the climate crisis closer to home for Nigerians, detailing severe flooding events that began in April 2025. These floods caused widespread property damage, fatalities, injuries, and forced many from their homes.
The most deadly single incident was the 2025 Mokwa flood in May. This unprecedented disaster claimed the lives of at least 500 people. Overall, the flooding in Nigeria during May led to over 700 deaths and affected property worth billions of naira, marking one of the country's worst flood seasons in recent memory.
A World of Extreme Weather
Christian Aid's report paints a picture of a world grappling with diverse climate shocks. It notes that severe drought in Iran threatens to force the evacuation of up to 10 million residents of Tehran. Earlier in the year, in April, devastating floods struck the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, and Pakistan.
The South Asian floods were particularly catastrophic, killing more than 1,860 people, affecting over seven million individuals in Pakistan alone, and causing approximately $6 billion in damage.
An Urgent Call for Action
Commenting on the alarming data, Patrick Watt, the Chief Executive Officer of Christian Aid, expressed deep concern. He warned that the financial and human bill for such extreme weather will continue to escalate unless decisive global action is taken.
Watt emphasised that the only way to curb this rising trend is for the world to drastically slash greenhouse gas emissions and systematically phase out fossil fuels. The report serves as a stark reminder that climate inaction has a direct and measurable cost in lives and livelihoods worldwide.
