How is climate change impacting global flooding?
As Europe battles severe flooding, we ask what role is climate change playing in extreme rainfall? Will floods get worse as global temperatures rise? These five visualizations will help you understand the connections.
Severe flooding has forced tens of thousands to evacuate their homes as wide regions of Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania have been hit by days of heavy rainfall.
It is the latest of several extreme floods this year. In Europe, thousands were forced to evacuate this summer in southern Germany. Elsewhere in the world, the United Arab Emirates and Oman experienced the heaviest rainfall since records began. Deluges in Kenya claimed numerous lives and triggered landslides. And in Brazil, floods damaged an area equivalent in size to the UK and displaced over half a million people.
Whereas coastal flooding is largely driven by winds and high tides, river, groundwater and flash flooding are all linked to heavy rainfall. Rising global temperatures, caused by burning fossil fuels, is making rainfall more frequent and severe across most parts of the world.
What is the science behind extreme flooding?
Modeling precipitation patterns is a complex process, but it has one clear underlying physics principle: hot air holds more moisture.
Greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere act like a blanket on the earth, trapping heat and causing temperatures to rise. This leads to a more rapid evaporation of water on land and at sea, meaning that when it rains, there is more water to release. And when a huge amount of rain is dumped onto earth in a short space of time, this can lead to flooding.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
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COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.