Impact of Climate Change on Extreme Weather: A Deadly Connection
A study shows that human-caused climate change has increased the intensity and likelihood of the ten deadliest extreme weather events globally in the past 20 years, resulting in over 570,000 deaths mainly in Europe, Africa, and Asia. This analysis, conducted by scientists from the World Weather Attribution group, emphasizes the urgent need for political action to address climate-related issues and potential fatalities from extreme weather.
Recent research indicates that human-caused climate change has significantly intensified and heightened the likelihood of the ten deadliest extreme weather events in the last two decades. This analysis highlights that such catastrophic occurrences, which took place across Europe, Africa, and Asia, have led to the deaths of over 570,000 individuals. Scientists from the World Weather Attribution group, based at Imperial College London, conducted this study, reexamining data on extreme weather occurrences. Dr. Friederike Otto, co-founder and leader of the World Weather Attribution group, noted, “This study should be an eye-opener for political leaders hanging on to fossil fuels that heat the planet and destroy lives. If we keep burning oil, gas, and coal, the suffering will continue.” The researchers focused on the ten deadliest weather events listed in the International Disaster Database from 2004 onwards, a timeframe established after the first study linking a climatic event—a heatwave in Europe—to climate change. The drought in Somalia in 2011, responsible for over 250,000 fatalities, stands as the most lethal incident in this timeline. The researchers concluded that climate change not only made such low rainfall events more probable but also exacerbated their severity. Additionally, the 2015 heatwave in France resulted in over 3,000 deaths, with researchers indicating that climate change has doubled the likelihood of such extreme temperatures. The analysis further documents the heatwaves of 2022 and 2023, which claimed 53,000 and 37,000 lives, respectively, asserting that the latter would have been virtually impossible without the influence of climate change. Moreover, tropical cyclones in Bangladesh (2007), Myanmar (2008), and the Philippines (2013), as well as floods in India (2013), displayed similar patterns of increased likelihood and intensity associated with climate change. The researchers also emphasized that the actual death toll from these events could be much higher than reported due to underreporting of heatwave-related fatalities, particularly in poorer nations vulnerable to climate impacts. The findings highlight the relationship between climate change and extreme weather events, a connection pioneered by Dr. Otto and Geert Jan van Oldenborgh, which allows scientists to attribute single weather events to rising global temperatures. They utilized atmospheric models to assess the probability of extreme weather under current climatic conditions versus a hypothetical scenario without industrialization. Roop Singh of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre remarked, “The massive death tolls we keep seeing in extreme weather shows we are not well prepared for 1.3°C of warming, let alone 1.5°C or 2°C.” She stressed the necessity for nations to enhance their resilience against climate change, warning that every incremental increase in temperature will result in more extreme weather events, regardless of a country’s preparedness.
The relationship between climate change and extreme weather phenomena has grown increasingly evident in recent years, driven by cumulative research efforts to understand how human activities impact weather patterns. Notably, the World Weather Attribution group conducts analyses that link specific weather events to climate change, enhancing the understanding of how factors such as rising global temperatures contribute to the intensity and frequency of natural disasters. This particular study examined the deadliest weather occurrences from the past two decades to establish the influence of anthropogenic climate change on these events, using innovative methodologies that offer a clearer picture of the consequences of continued reliance on fossil fuels.
In summary, the findings presented by the World Weather Attribution group underscore the critical impact of human-induced climate change on the severity and frequency of extreme weather events. The deaths of over half a million individuals resulting from these disasters highlighted the urgent need for global leaders to reconsider their reliance on fossil fuels. As climate change continues to escalate, the threat posed by future extreme weather will likely grow, necessitating enhanced resilience measures across vulnerable populations.
Original Source: www.bbc.com
