Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters

• This resource from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration details the financial costs and frequencies of extreme weather disasters exceeding one billion dollars in the United States since 1980.
• The data provided is represented in maps, tables, and graphs and can easily be divided out by decade or event type for analysis.
• The methodology for calculating and reporting the cost of damages is included, along with links to download some of the data.

Positives

• This resource provides real world, current data on the economic repercussions of climate change. 
• Analyzing the economic impact of climate change can be an effective way to garner support for climate action by individuals motivated by finances.

Additional Prerequisites

• Learners should be familiar with the connections between global warming and extreme weather events.

Differentiation

• Consider developing SAT/ACT practice questions on proportions and ratios using the data provided. For example, challenge students to examine decades during which the most damage occurred.
• Before examining the data, have students predict the most costly decade or event type and explain their reasoning.
• Download the data available to have students run statistical analyses for math, science, or statistics classes.
  
• Additional resources that relate to the cost of climate change are The Cost of Carbon and Climate Economics.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.