Climate Change, Driving Extreme Weather Disasters, Around the World.
Climate Change, Driving Extreme Weather Disasters, Around the World.
NPR's climate team recently broke down how global warming is responsible for the recent uptick in global extreme weather events.
This past June was the hottest recorded in the U.S. in over a century.
This past June was the hottest recorded in the U.S. in over a century.
Recent heat waves have made many cities aware of just how underprepared they are to deal with extreme weather.
Recent heat waves have made many cities aware of just how underprepared they are to deal with extreme weather.
So far, the world's temperature has risen two degrees Fahrenheit.
Dr. Radley Horton, a climate scientist at Columbia University, says that while that number sounds small, it can , "profoundly shift the statistics of extreme heat events.".
He says that these, "dangerous thresholds of really high temperature and high humidity", now have the potential to occur twice as often as they did before.
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He says that these, "dangerous thresholds of really high temperature and high humidity", now have the potential to occur twice as often as they did before.
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Approximately 95% of the West is currently experiencing drought.
Approximately 95% of the West is currently experiencing drought.
As a result, when wildfires do occur, they burn hotter and even create their own weather systems. As a result, when wildfires do occur, they burn hotter and even create their own weather systems. These huge pyrocumulus clouds can increase lightning strikes, consequently causing even more fires.
In the past few weeks, extreme rain resulted in deadly flash flood disasters in Central China, western Europe, Mumbai and Arizona.
In the past few weeks, extreme rain resulted in deadly flash flood disasters in Central China, western Europe, Mumbai and Arizona.
As the Earth gets warmer, these extreme rain events are becoming more common.
NPR points out that scientists are still working to determine just how common these disasters will be in the years to come
