Written by Dana Beltigi
severe drought in chinaEast of Africawestern United States and northern Mexicodevastating floods in Pakistan and Kentuckyscorching heat waves in Europe Pacific Northwestdevastating cyclones in South Africa And severe hurricanes In the United States and Central America only some of the recent extreme weather events have long been predicted by scientists It will be more intense as the climate warms.
“With the temperature rising by just over 1 degree since pre-industrial times, we are already seeing more extreme weather patterns,” said Elizabeth Robinson, director of the Grantham Research Institute in London.
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Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that answers some basic questions about climate change, the science behind it, the effects of a warming planet and how the world is dealing with it.
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Scientists have been meticulously tracking how much the climate is already changing due to human activity. Temperatures around the world are slowly rising.
Today’s average global temperature, which tends to be compared to pre-industrial estimates that triggered the mass combustion of fossil fuels, has risen between 0.9 and 1.2 degrees Celsius (1.6 to 2 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1850, significantly. Due to human activity, according to estimates in the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Most of this warming occurred from 1975 onwards, averaging 0.15 °C (0.27 °F) to 0.2 °C (0.36 °F) per decade.
Most people live in areas that have warmed more than the global average, Robinson said, “and this is partly urbanization — people are moving to cities, which are urban heat islands — and partly the population is increasing.” Urban areas, filled with a lot of heat-absorbing infrastructure such as roads and buildings and less cover from cooling trees, become “islands” with warmer weather.
And sea levels, inflated by the warming and expanding oceans and melting ice above land, were also jumping more quickly. Data show that in the 20th century, seas were rising by about 1.4 mm (0.06 in) per year, but that has doubled to 3.6 mm per year (0.14 in) in the past 15 years. The seas have risen about 21 to 24 centimeters (8 to 9 inches) so far since 1880 on average, according to estimates, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says this is likely to be 43 to 84 centimeters (17 to 33 inches) ) by the year 2100.
While the climate and global temperatures have fluctuated over the course of Earth’s history, it is the rate of change that is most concerning to researchers. Fossil fuels – made up of ancient decomposing plants and animals deep in the earth – have been mined at extraordinary rates. Brown University climatologist Kim Cobb said scientists are now beginning to determine “details about the rates, magnitude and timing of changes” as well as the varying impact on regions.
As the planet is already facing the effects of climate change, adapting to risks is one of the main ways humans can limit harm. Scientists say that deaths from weather-related disasters are generally trending to decline globally as forecasts, preparedness and resilience improve.
“The extent to which people are affected by a severe weather event is strongly influenced by government policies,” Robinson said, but added that “there are limits to adaptation.”
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Associated Press science writer Seth Bornstein contributed to this report.
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The Associated Press’s climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. Learn more about AP’s Climate Initiative here. AP is solely responsible for all content.
Originally published at San Jose News Bulletin
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