Climate change is responsible for extreme weather

Man-made emissions are responsible for the increasing amount of floods, droughts and storms, according to a new report. Charlotte Reid has more.

According to the most authoritative review to date into the effects of global warming, changes to our climate are likely to cause more extreme weather events.

The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was released on Friday November 18th. It has been compiled over two years by 220 scientists, who say that man-made emissions are making extreme weather events occur more often.

Rajendra Pachuri, chair of the IPCC, said, “This summary for policymakers provides insights into how disaster risk management and adaptation may assist vulnerable communities to better cope with a changing climate in a world of inequalities”.

Pachuri added, “It also underlines the complexity and the diversity of factors that are shaping human vulnerability to extremes –why for some communities and countries these can become disasters whereas for others they can be less severe”.

The report says that developing countries in particular will suffer the most from a change in extreme weather because they are not prepared for it in their infrastructure or their economy. Developed countries will also feel the effects as there will be more droughts, heat waves and heavier rainfall.

Blue & Green Tomorrow wrote about this report in early November, when it was obtained by the Associated Press.

This report is one of only two that the IPCC are releasing before publishing a comprehensive review of on the state of climate change science in 2014.

If you want to make sure that your emissions are not contributing to floods and droughts then check out our renewable energy page.