Tag: climate change

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No longer the exception, extreme weather events becoming the norm

No longer the exception, extreme weather events becoming the norm

Deadly floods in Pakistan, record-breaking heat waves in China, famine-causing droughts in parts of Africa, and unusually hot temperatures in the U.S., Europe and Australia: The impact of human-induced climate change is being felt across the world, with experts warning that extreme weather events are no longer the exception but rather becoming the new norm.

“In an unrelenting cascade of heat waves, forest fires, flash floods, multiple glacial lake outbursts, flood events and now the monster monsoon of the decade are wreaking nonstop havoc throughout the country,” Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change Sen. Sherry Rehman said Saturday as Islamabad declared a state of emergency in response to the “serious climate catastrophe” affecting the South Asian country.

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Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is recovering from bleaching events but still ‘very vulnerable’: Survey

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is recovering from bleaching events but still 'very vulnerable': Survey

According to a survey, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has recovered from storms and bleaching events to record levels. As per officials, though this is great news, the new coral is extremely vulnerable and can quickly tarnish by climate change and other environmental threats. The northern and central parts of the reef have the highest amount of coral cover. This stands true since coral monitoring began, roughly 36 years ago. However, the southern part of the coral cover reef has decreased. The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) scans the reef to check its health, each year. They do so by using divers slowly towed by a boat, as well as aerial surveys. 

The fourth mass bleaching was confirmed in March and since then, AIMS had grave concerns, especially ahead of this year’s study. The chief executive of AIMS, Paul Hardisty said, “In our 36 years of monitoring the condition of the Great Barrier Reef we have not seen bleaching events so close together”.

Watch | WION Climate Tracker | Turtle numbers dwindling because of rising temperatures

 As per the latest results, the reef cover can recover if suitable conditions persist, but acute and severe disturbances are becoming more frequent and longer at the Great Barrier Reef. 

Also read | Australia’s Great Barrier Reef suffers sixth mass bleaching event

A major threat to the Great Barrier Reef is posed by the damaging waves of tropical cyclones and coral-eating crown-of-thorns- starfish. In fact, much of this new coral growth that belongs to a species called Acropora is exposed to this threat. 

Due to its enormous scientific and intrinsic importance, the Great Barrier Reef has been listed on the World Heritage list for 40 years, as one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. According to UNESCO, the UN’s scientific and cultural body, “not enough” is being done to protect the reef.

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If the authorities that manage the Great Barrier Reef, i.e. the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority are to be believed, the outlook for the icon is “very poor” due to climate change.

Though this news comes as a ray of hope for conserving biodiversity, the challenges that lie ahead are significant.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Climate change driving catastrophic weather events – NIWA

Climate change driving catastrophic weather events - NIWA

Increasingly chaotic weather around the world can be attributed to climate change, a top NIWA scientist says.

Dr Sam Dean, NIWA’s principal climate scientist, told Q + A’s Jack Tame on Sunday that extreme weather events have been intensified by the changing climate.

“The risk is double what it would’ve been without climate change and the intensity is about 10% more.”

In recent weeks, parts of Europe and North Africa have seen record-breaking heatwaves, which have caused devastating wildfires and even melted airport runways in London.

Dr Dean says some of the heatwaves were “very unlikely, if not impossible” to have occurred if it hadn’t been for climate change.

Back in New Zealand, there are concerns that rising temperatures will create fire conditions similar to those in Australia, where bushfires caused widespread damage.

2021 was the hottest year in New Zealand on record, according to NIWA.

“I think for all of us, fire is a scary thing that can be truly destructive and terrifying,” Dr Dean said.

He says areas on the east of the South Island and Central Otago are particularly vulnerable.

“The risk of the kind of fire in places that we live is going to increase if we don’t mitigate.”

Dr Dean says the cost of the impacts from climate change far outweigh the costs of implementing mitigation strategies.

“We’re looking at how those costs are going to increase in the future.

“That provides motivation for spending money now to mitigate against potential damages… social and financial costs.”

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EARTH DAY: Cleanups, events, festival fill the April calendar

EARTH DAY: Cleanups, events, festival fill the April calendar

EARTH DAY: Cleanups, events, festival fill the April calendar  The Salem News

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El Nino may trigger frequent extreme weather events from 2040s: Study

El Nino may trigger frequent extreme weather events from 2040s: Study

In less than two decades from now, extreme weather events like intense heat waves and rainfall events triggered by El Nino are set to increase, a new study has shown.

El Nino is the unusual warming of ocean waters along the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. It is known to affect the monsoon and cause intense heat and droughts globally. In recent years, the 2015 El Nino event has significantly affected India’s rainfall, crop output and, thus, the overall economy.

In this study, researchers from the University of Exeter, UK have tried to calculate the ‘time of emergence’ of changes along the tropical Pacific Ocean under four possible carbon emissions scenarios. They concluded that drastic rainfall changes were on the cards starting in the 2040s.

“When looking at changes in El Nino rainfall patterns, the best estimate of the time of emergence of changes converges on 2040 in all of the four emissions scenarios considered,” the study published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Climate Change noted.

Normally, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) observes a weaker monsoon over India during El Nino years, even though the Met agency says that there is no one-on-one association between the two.

During 1951 – 2021, 15 years have been dominated by El Nino, including 2015, 2009, 2004, 2002, 1997, 1991, 1987, 1982, 1972, 1969, 1965, 1963, 1957, 1953 and 1951. Of these, nine summer monsoon seasons over the country recorded deficient rain by more than 90 per cent (of the Long Period Average or LPA of 88cm for the country for June-September). During one of the strongest El Nino years in 1997, however, India’s seasonal rain was over 100 per cent of the LPA, the IMD data showed.

Earlier this month, the IMD said that a weak La Nina – the opposite phenomenon of El Nino when the equatorial Pacific remains cooler than normal – has been shown to favour Indian summer monsoons. As per the latest forecasts, the existing La Nina will turn the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral sometime during the upcoming monsoon season.

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Extreme climatic events may cause anxiety, depression: IPCC report

Extreme climatic events, climatic conditions, climatic anxiety, climate change, depression and anxiety, mental health issues caused by climatic events, indian express news

Extreme climate conditions can cause mental health issues like anxiety, depression, acute traumatic stress and sleep problems ranging from mild to severe which may even require hospitalisation, said the latest IPCC report on climate change.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II’s report titled ‘Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability’, released on Monday, warned that a wide range of climatic events and conditions will have detrimental impacts on mental health.

“The pathways through which climatic events affect mental health are varied, complex and interconnected with other non-climatic influences that create vulnerability.

“The climatic exposure may be direct, such as experiencing an extreme weather event or prolonged high temperatures, or indirect, such as mental health consequences of undernutrition or displacement,” said the report.

The IPCC report has cautioned that not eliminating emissions will cause serious harm to the world, especially South Asia with increased unbearable heat waves, food and water scarcity and sea level rise.

The report also mentioned non-climatic moderating influences which range from an individual’s personality and pre-existing conditions, to social support, to structural inequities.

“Depending on these background and contextual factors, similar climatic events may result in a range of potential mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, acute traumatic stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide, substance abuse, and sleep problems, with conditions ranging from being mild in nature to those that require hospitalization,” the report, approved by nearly 200 countries said.

Referring to a study, the report said that in Canada, an association was found between mean heat exposure of 28 degree Celsius within four days of exposure and greater hospital admissions for mood and behavioural disorders, including schizophrenia, mood, and neurotic disorders.

“A US study found mental health problems increased by 0.5 per cent when average temperatures exceeded 30 degree C, compared to averages between 25-30 degree C; a 1 degree C warming over five years was associated with a two per cent increase in mental health problems.

“Another study found a 1 degree C rise in monthly average temperatures over several decades was associated with a 2.1 per cent rise in suicide rates in Mexico and a 0.7 per cent rise in suicide rates in the US. A systematic review of published research using a variety of methodologies from 19 countries found increased risk of suicide associated with a 1 degree C rise in ambient temperature,” the report said.

It, however, said that exposure may also be vicarious, with people experiencing decreased mental health associated with observing the impact of climate change on others, or simply with learning about climate change.

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