JANUARY 2024 saw bouts of extreme cold in northern Europe, when Sweden and Finland saw the mercury plummet to levels not seen in the past 25 years. Four months later, in May, Sicily in south Italy faced a drought so severe that it had to declare emergency. Four months after that, on October 29-30, Spain witnessed exceptionally heavy rain resulting in floods that killed 200 people-the highest death toll in a flood event in Europe since 1967.
The common thread that runs through these extreme events in Europe was their trigger-climate change caused by global warming. The scientific agreement on this has become possible with the emergence of a new stream of climate science called "attribution study". Under this, scientists precisely measure the impact of climate change on a weather event, or assess if the particular event would have been different, both in frequency and intensity, without the climate change.
This story is from the December 01, 2024 edition of Down To Earth.
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This story is from the December 01, 2024 edition of Down To Earth.
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A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE
VAPOUR ACTION
MOISTURE IS A SILENT FORCE THAT AMPLIFIES GLOBAL WARMING. YET SCIENTISTS UNDERSTAND LITTLE ABOUT THIS GREENHOUSE GAS AND HOW IT INFLUENCES WEATHER SYSTEMS
OPEN AND SHUT CASE
2024 WITNESSED A RECORD NUMBER OF ATTRIBUTION STUDIES THAT SHOW CLIMATE CHANGE AS THE KEY FACTOR BEHIND EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
TEST OF SURVIVAL
GENERATION ALPHA INHERITS A WORLD IRREVOCABLY WARMER BY 1.5°C
THE YEAR PLANET CHANGED
WE KNOW THAT WE LIVE IN THE AGE OF CLIMATE EXTREMES. WE ARE NOT IN DENIAL. BUT WE ARE NO LONGER THE SOCIETIES THAT WORK FOR COMMON CAUSES
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
