I'm more concerned with the increasingly apparent and more immediate effects of climate change. 2023 has been a year of extremes in terms of global weather. We have an El Nino year coupled with increasing circumstantial evidence of the impact from climate change. Question is, are we ready for a world of climate change? 2023 suggest no. Then what can we do to increase our resilience to the increasing frequency of extreme weather?
First, just take a look at the list of the crazy record-breaking weather so far in 2023:
1. Storm Daniel causing record-breaking flash flooding in GreeceIn September, Storm Daniel hit Greece, causing 754mm (29 inches) of rain to fall in just 18 hours in the village of Zagora in September. For comparison, Athens in Greece gets an annual rainfall of 400 mm (15.7 inches). The whole day had a record 1,092 millimetres (43.0 in). That's more than double an entire year's worth of rain falling in one day in that spot in Greece. Flash flooding in that country caused 18 fatalities:
theconversation.com/greeces-record-rainfall-and-flash-floods-are-part-of-a-trend-across-the-mediterranean-the-weather-is-becoming-more-dangerous-2131642. Devastating floods destroy Derna in LibyaThat same storm Daniel caused even worse devastation in Libya. Torrential rain from the storm caused catastrophic dam failures, releasing an estimated 30 million cubic metres (39 million cubic yards) of water (www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/13/why-did-dernas-dams-break-when-storm-daniel-hit-libya) to rush into the city of Derna. Over 4000 deaths in Derna downstream from the dams (libyaobserver.ly/inbrief/number-deaths-derna-reached-4029-al-mismari-says) was the tragic consequence. The dams in question have suffered from many years of neglect and prior damage from past storms weren't repaired. A quarter of Derna was completely destroyed:
3. Most rainfall in a century and a half in Hong Kong
That same month in September, a record-breaking torrential rainfall cause flash flooding in Hong Kong. "A record-breaking hourly rainfall of 158.1 millimetres (6.2 inches) from 11 p.m. to midnight on 7 September, the highest since records began in 1884. The 2-hour total rainfall of 201.0 millimetres (7.9 inches) and 12-hour total rainfall of 605.8 millimetres (23.9 inches) recorded at the Observatory Headquarters during this phenomenal rainstorm also broke their respective records" (www.hko.gov.hk/en/wxinfo/pastwx/mws2023/mws202309.htm). Subway stations turned to waterfalls, streets turned to raging rivers, massive landslides were triggered and it was the heaviest rain in that city in 140 years (www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/08/hong-kong-weather-record-rain-flooding-after-typhoon-haikui):
4. Apocalyptic wildfires in HawaiiAnd its not just extreme flooding, the opposite also occurred, wildfires. The Maui wildfires here in the US totally destroyed Lahaina. The scale of that wildfire was unprecedented in Hawaii. 99 people were killed and scores are still missing (apnews.com/article/maui-hawaii-wildfire-death-toll-3dc505d4d83b6af5ee01fdaf173c4f01). Hawaii Governor Josh Green called the wildfires the worst natural disaster in state history (www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/08/10/hawaii-wildfires-impact-damage/). The cost of the damage is over 5 billion dollars (www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions/events.pdf). A high pressure system to the north of Hawaii and Hurricane Dora to the south caused strong winds to blow over Maui, triggering the wildfires (www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/08/09/hawaii-wildfires-maui-lahaina-dora/):
5. First tropical storm in California in 84 yearsAnd even with relatively minor level of damage, there was also record-breaking weather events. Tropical storm Hiliary was the first tropical system to hit anywhere in California in 84 years. Causing Los Angeles, Southern California, Nevada and parts of Arizona, normally bone dry and arid this time of year, to experience rare flooding in a desert environment (www.cbsnews.com/news/tropical-storm-hilary-southern-california-nevada-rain-flooding/). Many places experienced a year's worth of rain in a day:
6. Hurricane Otis hitting AcapulcoAnd just very recently, Hurricane Otis experienced record-breaking explosive intensification in the Eastern Pacific. Jumping from a mere tropical storm into a Cat 5 monster within just 24 hours, stunning meterologists (www.foxweather.com/weather-news/hurricane-otis-computer-forecast-models-rapid-intensification-acapulco) and worst, catching Mexico off guard. The storm jumped in intensity as it crossed over an unusally warm area of ocean water (www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-otis-category-5-rapid-intensification-why/). It almost took a direct hit on the resort city of Acapulco, causing massive damage and so far 47 dead (news.yahoo.com/hurricane-otis-photos-show-devastation-131001314.html):
Now while it may be difficult to attribute climate change as the cause in any one of those events, but if you look at those above events in aggregate terms, the record-breaking and rare extreme weathers does suggest climate change might be a factor. Some predict such extreme events will be more frequent in the future as climate change continues. Question is, are we prepared? And what can we do to improve our resilience to such events?
