Frequency of intense floods and storms could double in 13 years, says study

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/24/climate-crisis-study-flood-storm-study

Emily Holden in Washington
Fri 24 Jan 2020 04.00 EST

Intense floods and storms around the world could double in frequency within 13 years, as climate breakdown and socioeconomic factors combine, according to a new study.

The authors of the analysis say it’s the first to incorporate historical local and global climate data and information about population density, income and poverty to estimate how many hard-hitting disasters to expect. They counted floods and storms that would affect 1,000 people or kill 100 people.

Broadly, the researchers also see governments around the world as critically unprepared. The authors found very high risks for countries such as Australia, Bangladesh and China. Risks are highest for countries that are already seeing far more extreme events than the global average.

The study is published in the peer-reviewed Climate, Disaster and Development Journal.

•••••

Don Wuebbles, a professor of atmosphere sciences at the University of Illinois who worked on the 2018 US National Climate Assessment, said the study might be underestimating future disasters by assuming disasters will continue to increase at the current rate.

•••••