Over 8,000 Gone in 2024
Extreme weather events likely fueled by the climate crisis killed at least 8,381 people in 2024, according to my original data analysis.
Today's edition features original data analysis, so it's available only to paid subscribers. Upgrade your subscription here to read in full. Today, I'm writing about the lives we lost in 2024 to severe weather fueled by climate change.
LISTENING: to the Mario Party jingle as my friends play
FEELING: excited for a new year
SEEING: my best friend's holiday decor on her table here in Virginia
As the world prepared to ring in the new year last night, much of Puerto Rico sat in the dark. Over 1 million people on the archipelago suffered a power outage. As of New Year's Day (when I'm writing this), most have their power restored.
It's a shame they lost power to begin with. Since Hurricane Maria, the region has suffered from regular blackouts. The electrical grid was already weak prior to the killer storm, but Maria dealt the deadly blow. Energy company LUMA took over the grid in 2021. Puerto Ricans have been unhappy with the service, and even New York Attorney General Letitia James called for a federal investigation back in 2022.
As we welcome a new year, I hope we all take a moment of gratitude for the comfort and privilege many of us experience. Hurricane Maria killed nearly 3,000 people. Every year, people are dying at the hands of manmade climate change. I've made it a goal to document those deaths every week in my Rest in Power section. Then, I take those numbers and crunch them for my annual retrospective to offer an estimate of how many people have died in the last year.