Picturesque towns in Central Europe are inundated with dirty water after heavy rains in recent days turned quiet streams into raging raging rivers.
The floods have killed at least 15 people and destroyed buildings from Austria to Romania.
The destruction comes after devastating floods around the world, when entire villages were submerged in Myanmar and nearly 300 prisoners escaped from a collapsed prison in Nigeria, where floods affected more than 1 million people.
The floods did not surprise scientists
Climate scientists say they are concerned about the damage but not surprised by the intensity.
“The catastrophic rainfall that hit Central Europe is exactly what scientists expect (to happen) in the context of climate change,” said Joyce Kimutai, of the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London.
She said the death and damage in Africa and Europe highlighted “how poorly prepared the world is for such floods”.
Scientists are cautious about attributing extreme rainfall to human influence because so many factors influence the water cycle. While it is well established that warmer air can hold more moisture, the occurrence of heavy downpours also depends on the amount of water available to fall.
Erich Fischer, a climatologist at ETH Zürich, said that scientists used to discuss the physics of how climate change increases the intensity of rainfall at noon on the banks of the New Danube, shows The Guardian.
“It’s ironic to now see these banks, where we used to sit in the sun and discuss the science of extreme precipitation, now being flooded,” says Fischer.
“Even developed countries are not ready”
The number of flood victims depends on how communities prepare for and react to the rains. Scientists have urged governments to invest in adapting to extreme weather events through early warning systems, more resilient infrastructure and victim support programs, while ending reliance on fossil fuels.
“It is clear that even highly developed countries are not immune to climate change. As long as the world burns oil, gas and coal, heavy rainfall and other extreme weather events will intensify, making our planet a more dangerous and expensive place to live,” said Friederike Otto, climatologist at the Grantham Institute.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
