How has weather attribution grown as a scientific discipline?
Weather attribution science has come a long way in the last five years. There are emerging best practice methodologies now. Through that we now know, without having to do a new study, that every heatwave has been made more likely and more intense because of climate change. We also know that in most cases of heavy rainfall events there is a role of climate change, though that is smaller than in heatwaves. For droughts there are some hotspots where we do see the fingerprints of climate change. These are southern Africa, the Mediterranean region and parts of South America. There are also many droughts that cause huge damage and food insecurity even though they do not have a climate change signal. Highlighting that vulnerability and exposure plays a crucial role.
What are some open questions in weather attribution science?
This story is from the November 01, 2022 edition of Down To Earth.
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This story is from the November 01, 2022 edition of Down To Earth.
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