Brazil has experienced a dramatic increase in climate disasters in recent years, compared to the previous two decades, according to a new study.
“Climate disasters have become more frequent and intense in recent decades, reflecting the impacts of climate change,” says the report prepared by the Brazilian Alliance for Ocean Literacy with the support of the Brazilian government and UNESCO.
The study, conducted by the research arm of the Federal University of Sao Paulo and published on Friday, said that in the four years between 2020 and 2023, Brazilian government data showed an annual average of 4,077 climate-related disasters.
That was almost double the 2,073 disasters recorded annually, on average, in the two decades from 2000 to 2019.
The report called it an “alarming scenario.”
Disasters so categorized include droughts, floods, violent storms, extreme temperatures, cyclones, landslides, earthquakes and tsunamis.
The study showed a correlation between climate disasters suffered in the country and warming ocean surface temperatures.
He also said that an unprecedented drought and flooding in Brazil in 2024 added to the climate challenges facing the South American nation.
“Economic losses caused by climate disasters in Brazil have increased significantly in recent decades, reflecting the growing impacts of climate change,” the study says.
It estimated the cost of such damage in Brazil between 1995 and 2023 at $88.4 billion.
The researchers underscored “the urgency of measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change,” prompting the world to strive to achieve the goals set out in the historic Paris agreement to curb global warming.
Furthermore, “it is essential to strengthen the resilience of natural and human systems to confront the impacts that are already underway,” they said.
In November 2025, Brazil will host COP30, the UN climate conference aimed at improving international coordination to address climate change and its impact.
