24 November 2011 (IRIN) - Did the heatwave of summer 2003, which killed at least 30,000 people in Europe, have anything to do with climate change? And were the 2010 floods in Pakistan, which affected more than 20 million people, linked to a warming climate?
Various studies have attempted to examine the links between extreme weather events and climate change, and now the world’s most authoritative body on climate science - the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - has spoken out on the issue.
After three years of assessing climate models and new evidence, the panel has released a summary of its special report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation - SREX for short. The full report will be released in early 2012.
The IPCC goes beyond determining the influence of climate change on weather extremes now and in the future; it also talks about the risks that could turn these extreme events into disasters, and how to manage them and adapt to the changed circumstances.
Navigating through the summary can sometimes be tricky, and you are never quite sure what a “high or a medium confidence level” means. read more>>>
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