Climate change impact on extreme weather events
Climate change impact on extreme weather events Mirage News
sdgtalks
Climate Change Impact on Extreme Weather Events
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Goal 13: Climate Action
- Goal 15: Life on Land
In a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists investigate the effects of climate change on exacerbating compounding heat and drought situations.
The U.S. National Science Foundation-supported findings offer new insights into predicting their interplay, which will provide scientists and policymakers with a clearer and more holistic approach to preventing and preparing for extreme weather events.
The researchers document the effects of increasingly severe droughts and wildfires in the past three years. “Research on climate change continues to underscore serious impacts that are being experienced nationally and globally,” says Bruce Hamilton, a program director in NSF’s Directorate for Engineering.
“Two standout events,” says Michael Mann of the University of Pennsylvania, “were the 2020 California wildfires and the 2019-20 Australian bush fire season, which lasted nearly one whole year. These are known as compound drought and heat wave events and refer to situations wherein a region experiences both prolonged hot temperatures and a shortage of water.”
These conditions can occur together and worsen each other’s impacts, the researchers say, and could potentially lead to heat-related illnesses and deaths, water scarcity for drinking and agriculture, reduced crop yields, increased wildfire risk and ecological stress. They also note that anthropogenic climate change – climate change that is driven by human activity – can contribute to the frequency and severity of these events.
The researchers compared two contrasting socioeconomic pathways: the high-end or worst-case scenario, wherein society fails to mitigate the effects of anthropogenic climate change, and a moderate scenario, wherein some conservative measures are put in place and efforts are made to abide by them.
In the worst-case scenario, they found that by the late 21st century approximately 20% of global land areas are expected to witness approximately two compound drought and heat wave (CDHW) events per year. These events could last for around 25 days and have a fourfold increase in severity.
“Comparatively, the average CDHW frequency over the recent observed reference period was approximately 1.2 events per year, lasting less than 10 days, with far less severity,” Mann says.
The most vulnerable geographical regions, such as eastern North America, southeastern South America, Central Europe, East Africa, Central Asia, and northern Australia, are projected to experience the largest increases in CDHW frequency by the end of the 21st century.
“Interestingly, places like Philadelphia and some of the regions in the eastern U.S. are where we expect to see an increase in these sorts of events; urban environments in the summertime will witness the highest relative frequency of these events,” Mann says.
/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 13: Climate Action | Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | Target 13.b: Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing states, including focusing on women, youth, and local and marginalized communities | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.1: Ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.2: Promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.3: Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.4: Ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
The SDGs that are connected to the issues highlighted in the article are SDG 13: Climate Action and SDG 15: Life on Land.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
Based on the article’s content, the specific targets under SDG 13: Climate Action that can be identified are:
- Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters
- Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning
- Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning
- Target 13.b: Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing states, including focusing on women, youth, and local and marginalized communities
The specific targets under SDG 15: Life on Land that can be identified are:
- Target 15.1: Ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements
- Target 15.2: Promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
- Target 15.3: Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world
- Target 15.4: Ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
No indicators are mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets.
Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.
Source: miragenews.com
Join us, as fellow seekers of change, on a transformative journey at https://sdgtalks.ai/welcome, where you can become a member and actively contribute to shaping a brighter future.
