"The 10 deadliest extreme weather events of the previous two decades, which contributed to some 570,000 deaths, were all intensified by human-caused climate change, according to a new study from World Weather Attribution.

The events in question comprised three hurricanes, four heatwaves, two floods and a drought. Each of the events had features intensified by either climate change or its downstream effects, the study found. For example, Somalia’s 2011 drought, which contributed to 258,000 deaths, was made worse by a combination of low rainfall between March and May, as well as increased temperatures causing greater evaporation from plants and soil.

Similarly, Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, which killed 138,366 people in 2008, was exacerbated by climate change making its precipitation more intense and its wind speeds up to 5.2 miles per second more intense, as well as making sea surface temperatures up to 0.66 degrees Celsius warmer."

Zack Budryk reports for The Hill October 31, 2024. [2]