Analysis of Economic Losses and Comprehensive Impact Factors of Heatwave, Drought, and Heavy Rain Disasters in Hainan Island
Chenyang Yuan, Yichen Zhang, Yuxin Zhou, Jiquan Lin, Jie Zhang, Wenli Lai
Abstract
The increasing frequency of extreme weather events presents serious challenges to both regional and global economies. This study focuses on quantifying the economic losses caused by three major types of extreme climate events (heatwaves, droughts, and heavy rain) in Hainan Island from 2001 to 2020. Moreover, a comprehensive dataset of related economic losses was developed. To support the analysis, we constructed an Extreme Climate Economic Loss Model (ECELM). Drought and heavy rain losses were estimated using a loss intensity index based on precipitation and typhoon landfall wind speeds. Heatwave-related losses were assessed through a threshold-based optimization approach. The results show that both heatwaves and heavy rain have exhibited increasing impacts from 2001 to 2020. Although heatwaves were the most frequent extreme event in more than half of the years, heavy rain caused the highest cumulative losses, reaching CNY 75 billion. Spatial analysis indicates that the southeastern coastal areas were the most severely affected. These findings provide valuable quantitative evidence for designing targeted regional climate adaptation strategies.