extreme weather

Climate change is directly linked to extreme weather: intense winter storms, wildfires, hurricanes, heatwaves, drought, torrential rains and flooding. The warming ocean contributes to this as warmer water provides more energy for storms that develop at sea, meaning that tropical cyclones are intensifying globally.

A key element of climate change is the impact on the water cycle on the planet. The precipitation regime is changing, wetlands are getting wetter and dry areas drier. At the same time, extreme climatic conditions such as heat waves, heavy rainfall or droughts are becoming more frequent and more intense. Coastal cities and regions now faced with regular flooding are having to adapt, constructing defences as well as applying more sustainable, natural flood mitigation solutions. The United Nation’s report, The Climate Crisis – A Race We Can Win, states that 90% of disasters are now classed as weather and climate-related, costing the world economy €430 billion each year. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) states that an annual average of 21.5 million people have been forcibly displaced by weather-related hazards such as floods, storms, wildfires or extreme temperature each year since 2008.

The cost of preventative measures, such as relocation, building storm defence mechanisms or raising city areas, or from insurance claims resulting from storm damage is growing. A 2020 report by the reinsurance company Munich Re estimated the costs arising from hurricanes, wildfires and floods in that year was more than €170 billion. Adaptation strategies are being put together by environmental agencies, such as the Climate Change Adaptation Resource Center of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

dive in deeper

CarbonBrief: Mapped: How climate change affects extreme weather around the world