Climate Change Made South America's Brutal Spring Heatwave 100 Times More Likely
Temperatures that soared into the 100s across several South American countries were far hotter thanks to the influence of global warming Scientists from World Weather Attribution have revealed that South America's extreme heatwave was 100 times more likely to be caused by climate change than if there was no such thing as climate change. Temperatures across much of South America spiked in late September, with São Paulo recording its highest September temperature since 1943. A city in western Paraguay recorded a temperature of 112 degrees Fahrenheit, while Argentina and Bolivia recorded 110 degrees. Without climate change induced warming, the heat wave would have been significantly cooler overall. This kind of heatwave is currently likely to occur about once every 30 years, but that's in today's climate. With future global warming, heat events like this will become even more common and hotter.
Được phát hành : 2 năm trước qua Dave Levitan trong Weather Tech Environment
The extreme heat wave that baked large swaths of Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Bolivia in the southern hemisphere's early spring was, like so many extreme weather events now, a likely consequence of climate change.
Scientists from World Weather Attribution, a non-profit organization that investigates extreme weather and climate change, revealed the findings as part of a new analysis on Tuesday, which sound that the extreme heat was 100 times more likely as a result of our warmer world than if there was no such thing as climate change.
"Early spring extreme heat events often prove to be particularly impactful as local populations are not yet acclimatized to high temperatures," the authors wrote in a press release.
Temperatures across much of South America spiked in late September — the start of the spring season for the southern hemisphere. São Paulo, Brazil, recorded its highest September temperature since 1943. A city in western Paraguay, meanwhile, recorded a temperature of 112 degrees Fahrenheit. Another in Argentina cracked 110 degrees.
Though the impact of heat waves can take months to fully come to light, at least four people have died already as a result of the heat.
Worryingly, it could get worse: This kind of heat wave is currently likely to occur about once every 30 years — but that's in today's climate. As the world warms, the likelihood could rise even further.
The climate has so far warmed about 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial temperatures. That warmer baseline juiced the heatwave. Without that climate change induced warming, the heat wave would have been significantly cooler overall — between 2.5 to 7.7 degrees Fahrenheit cooler. And even underestimating how much more likely such a heatwave is now still results in an estimate of it being at least 100 times more likely due to climate change.
"With future global warming, heat events like this will become even more common and hotter," the study authors wrote.
In fact, if current trends continue and the world breaches the climate target of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit of overall warming (2.0 degrees Celsius), this kind of heatwave will be another 5 times more likely in South America over its current odds — and be substantially hotter — according to the report.
Chủ đề: Climate Change, South America, ESG