By KARL RITTER – Associated Press
“The Earth is delivering a message to us. And the message is that more extreme weather is becoming the norm rather than the exception,” said John Magrath, a climate change researcher at British charity Oxfam.
Droughts and floods are expected to become more severe as global temperatures climb. Less clear is the impact on wind patterns and ocean currents, factors that could alter climate in potentially dramatic ways not fully understood yet.
In the U.S., it was the 23rd warmest year on record and the 14th year in a row with an annual temperature above the long-term average, according to NOAA’s preliminary analysis.
Meanwhile, the extent of Arctic sea ice in the summer – a key indicator of global warming – was at its third lowest level, behind 2007 and 2008.
Australia’s floods, which started in late November, have been linked to the La Nina weather phenomenon, which refers to cooler than normal surface sea temperatures in parts of the Pacific, causing disruptions in weather patterns. La Nina occurs naturally, and the link to climate change remains unclear, said Omar Baddour of the World Meteorological Organization.
“But as we know, extreme events whether their cause is due to La Nina or El Nino or other factors, will be more intense in the era of climate change,” he added.
“The high number of weather-related natural catastrophes and record temperatures both globally and in different regions of the world provide further indications of advancing climate change,” Munich Re said.
Still, single events can be useful in highlighting shortcomings in our preparedness for a warmer world more prone to extremes, said Markku Rummukainen, a climate scientist at Lund University in Sweden.
“For example, that Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans does not have to have anything to do with climate change, but it revealed vulnerabilities that hadn’t been considered,” said Rummukainen, who is also involved in drafting the next report by the U.N.’s expert panel on climate change. “It remains to be seen what conclusions can be drawn in Australia.”