Extreme Weather
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Extreme Weather ☆
Extreme Weather
How bad can natural events get?
Extreme weather has killed over 2 million people since 1970.
Summary
Scientists have used extreme-event attribution (studying the effects of global warming on the severity of weather events) to determine the impacts of weather on humans and the environment.
Today, developing countries are hit the hardest from extreme weather events. Disasters cost least developed countries up to 30% of their GDP (with some wiping out entire countries’ GDP), killing over 700,000 in Africa, and nearly 1 million in Asia.
Climate change’s effects on extreme weather can cause issues like melting glaciers, an increase in droughts and wildfires, and more severe hurricanes, floods, or tornadoes.
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As the root cause of intensified extreme weather conditions is climate change, countries have adopted the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise (to less than 1.5° C), which is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As the effects of climate change are being seen much more often, it’s possible for climate-focused development to speed up.
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While winters are warming across the globe, extreme winter cold can actually be intensified from climate change. For example, as the Arctic warms 4x faster than the rest of the globe, the Arctic polar vortex (which usually keeps cold winds contained in the Arctic area) becomes unstable and travels further down, causing events such as Texas’ extreme cold, which killed nearly 250 people.
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If you live in an area frequently affected by extreme weather, ensure your local community always has an ear out for weather alerts and warnings, as well as has a safety kit for potential disasters. If you don’t, you can donate to organizations that provide relief after events, volunteer for them or at a shelter (for displaced people), or write letters to provide support.
Non-Profits Providing Disaster Relief:
Disclaimer: DeltaEarth has no affiliation with these organizations.
