GLOBAL warming increases the risk of flooding because the amount of rain that can fall during an extreme downpour increases exponentially as temperatures rise. When more heat-trapping pollutants surround the Earth, more moisture is held in the air, leading to more rainfall.
Cutting these emissions is crucial to reducing flood risks for future generations. Global temperatures have already risen by more than 1 deg C above pre-industrial levels, and are expected to continue rising. Countries committed in 2015 to try to hold global temperature rise to well below 2 deg C, but the world is currently on track for more than 3 deg C of warming, a level expected to cause much more extreme and unpredictable weather.
More and more rainfall extremes are observed in regions around the globe – triggering both wet and dry records, a new study shows. The central and Eastern US, northern Europe and northern Asia have experienced heavy rainfall events that have led to severe floods in recent past. In contrast, most African regions have seen an increased frequency of months with a lack of rain. Climate change is already taking place and we must get on with finding solutions so we can adapt to climate change.
Unless countries boost their flood defenses more people will be at risk from river flooding in the next 20 years as global warming increases the likelihood of severe rainfall, according to a study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. In Asia, the numbers at risk will more than double with India, China, and Indonesia among the worst-affected countries, scientists said.
In a new study published in the journal Science Advances, unless actions are taken – such as enhancing dykes, boosting building standards, relocating settlements and managing rivers – the number of people affected by devastating floods could skyrocket.
