Climate Journalism Done Right. The Washington Post: The Real Reason for Increasing Billion Dollar Di

[rangerrebew]

Climate Journalism Done Right
The Washington Post: The Real Reason for Increasing Billion Dollar Disasters

Roger Pielke Jr.
Oct 24, 2024
 
Today, The Washington Post has published a lengthy analysis titled, “The real reason billion-dollar disasters like Hurricane Helene are growing more common.”1 The article, by the Post’s Harry Stevens, is brilliantly done — extensively reported, data rich, grounded in a large body of research, with a wide diversity of voices. Watching reactions to the article will be fascinating.2

Let’s take a look at Stevens’ analysis of the NOAA billion dollar disaster (BDD) tabulation and how it has been often mischaracterized in assessments and in policy.

Stevens opens by explaining why the disaster count matters — it is often invoked as a justification for policy:

https://rogerpielkejr.substack.com/p/climate-journalism-done-right

[Smokin Joe]

Well the Hurricane in the 50s that wiped out every tar paper shack within a mile of the beach just didn't come close to being the disaster that takes down one modern hotel or housing development, because of the property values.

Dollars (especially with inflation and changing property values) are just not a good measure of the damage done, nor the severity of the storms.