2025 Wildfires Push Disaster Losses to Record Highs Since Fukushima

Los Angeles wildfires in early 2025 caused $40 billion in insured losses, setting a new global record for wildfire damage. According to German reinsurer Munich Re, total insured disaster losses worldwide reached $80 billion in the first half of the year—the highest since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. With nearly 90% of overall damages tied to weather-related events, experts link this surge in destruction to climate change and call for urgent adaptation measures.