In 2024 alone, extreme weather interrupted 23 elections in 18 countries
A report published this Wednesday by the international institute IDEA, which documents almost a hundred interrupted elections and referenda over two decades, points out that floods, fires and other extreme weather events represent a growing threat to democracy.
Between 2006 and 2025, at least 26 elections and referenda were postponed, totally or partially, due to natural disasters, according to the report by the international institute IDEA, which documents at least 94 interrupted elections and referenda in 52 countries.
The Stockholm-based organization dedicated to democracy published the study to coincide with Earth Day, which is celebrated annually on April 22.
Other referenda and elections have been interrupted by floods, hurricanes, heat waves and landslides, in a context of climate change that is worsening extreme weather events.
In 2024 alone, extreme weather disrupted 23 elections in 18 countries, according to the “Managing Natural and Climate Risks in Elections” report.
“From hurricanes and floods to wildfires and heat waves, these events damage infrastructure, displace voters, and force last-minute changes to election processes,” IDEA wrote in a statement.
The report mentions the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the 2012 US elections, the 2023 earthquake on the presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey and an intense heat wave on the 2025 elections in the Philippines.
“As climate-related risks intensify, pressure on already fragile democratic systems is expected to increase,” the organization wrote.
“Elections should be held when the risk of disaster is lowest; in some cases, electoral management bodies will also have to consider changing the electoral calendar to reduce the risk of disruption caused by short-term disasters,” says Sarah Birch, professor of Political Science at the British university King’s College London.
The parliament of the province of Alberta, in western Canada, for example, moved the fixed election date from May — during the forest fire season — to October, starting in 2027.
Extreme weather events can also have long-term effects on democracy, according to the report.
“The precariousness and trauma associated with natural disasters can exacerbate the grievances of affected citizens, facilitate the spread of conspiracy theories, and impose additional hardships on the most vulnerable,” IDEA states.
Democratic institutions should be considered “critical infrastructure sensitive to environmental threats and requiring special protection”, add the report’s authors, who urge countries to include electoral processes in national climate change adaptation plans.
