Extreme weather events have killed more than 60,000 people in 21st century, study finds

Floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina fill the streets of New Orleans in 2005. The study by Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand found that "Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma together caused $123bn in attributed damages. File photo: AP/David J. Phillip

Extreme weather events caused by climate change cost nearly €136 billion a year, or more than €15 million per hour, over the past two decades, a study has found.

Published in Nature Communications, the study by Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand looked at 185 events going back to the turn of the century. It found that a net of 60,951 deaths are attributable to climate change.