It’s been called the year of billion dollar disasters. In 2011, extreme drought, heat waves, floods, and wildfires have contributed to a record 12 weather and climate catastrophes, each of which caused more than $1 billion in damages, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While researchers caution against linking a single event to human-caused climate change, a recent international report states human actions collectively are indeed increasing the intensity and frequency of some extreme events.
On November 18 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Summary for Policymakers, a condensed version of a special report on climate extremes. Publication of the panel’s full report, written by 220 climate experts from 62 countries, is expected in February 2012.
Through activities that increase heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, the report states, human actions have contributed to raising the lowest and highest daily temperatures and have caused extreme precipitation to become more intense in some regions. Although the extent of damage caused by disasters has been mounting, the report attributes that trend to people increasingly putting themselves and their property in harm’s way.
