"Flooding events around the world share a common factor of an atmosphere made warmer by climate change. What can be done to help citizens prepare?"
"Chad. Vietnam. Austria. The American South.
In very disparate regions of the world, extreme rainfall in recent weeks has killed thousands of people, submerged entire towns, set off landslides and left millions without power. It’s a harbinger of the wild weather events that are a hallmark of climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, and it is highlighting the need to urgently adapt, in rich and poor countries alike.
Bursts of extreme rainfall are making both coastal and riverine flooding more dangerous and unpredictable.
“Extreme events are getting stronger everywhere, so we should expect floods to be bigger regardless of where we are,” said Michael Wehner, a scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “There is no question that these kinds of floods all over the world are getting worse.”"
Austyn Gaffney and Somini Sengupta report for the New York Times September 18, 2024.
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