Researchers are now working on quickly calculating and disseminating climate fingerprints following extreme weather events. Michael Wehner, a senior staff scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, is leading this effort. By connecting the dots between extreme weather events and greenhouse gases, people are becoming aware that climate change is a pressing issue in the present, not just a problem for future generations.
Recent studies have focused on examining the additional impacts of these extreme weather events rather than just calculating the increased odds. For example, during Hurricane Harvey’s impact on Houston in 2017, researchers found that there was 19% more rainfall due to climate change. This translated to 14% more flooded areas and a quadrupling of the financial losses, ultimately totaling $90 billion. These findings highlight the urgency and severity of the impact of climate change on extreme weather events, providing valuable insights for residents and policymakers.
