Lesson Thirty-Two: Climate Weather Disasters
Hi. I’ve missed you! Wow does it feel good to be back! I would like to officially welcome you to Term 4!
I hope everyone had a super lovely summer and made the most of (safely) seeing people while our world still battles a global pandemic.
Okay. Onto today’s lesson!
Has any one else noticed that weather events are getting a bit more hairy?
Like, every year we’re getting bigger wildfires, more Category 5 hurricanes, and longer, more intense periods of drought around the world?
Well it’s no coincidence that the more carbon in our atmospheres, the higher our global temperature becomes and the more intense and unstable our weather systems get. That’s why I want to use today’s lesson to talk about climate change and the impacts it has on our weather systems.
So, what is a weather-related climate disaster? They consist of wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, floods, tornadoes, ice storms, electric storms, and winter storms.
Natural disasters are tricky beasts because they are traditionally part of complex ecological systems that work to offset spikes in temperatures, or balance out environments. However, we now know them as incidents that leave in their wake a trail of injury, death, property damage & economic loss.
That perception and trend only continues to intensify as global warming increases the temperatures of the Earth's oceans and atmosphere, leading to more intense storms. Urbanization in flood-prone areas and clear-cutting land in wildfire-prone areas are other examples of how we are paving the way for natural disasters to hit us harder.
These weather-related natural disasters also cost governments (aka tax payers, aka YOU), a lot of money. Here’s a quick question for you:
If you think that’s a lot, when we had an extreme natural disaster (Fort McMurray wildfires of 2016), the cost went up to $5.3 billion.
The severity of these weather events can be examined by analyzing a combination of:
1) Increased Exposure - aka because there are more people, buildings, property, or valuables in an area, the “exposure” increases which will result in higher damages.
2) Vulnerability of Areas - aka the more areas have weakened natural defences (paved land so soil can’t absorb excess water, dry trees that are more prone to catching on fire, ect), the more vulnerable they are to extreme weather conditions
3) Increased Frequency and Intensity due to Climate Change - aka the increased global temperature (by 1° C) further fortifies harmful ecological feedback loops, which leads to stronger weather patterns.
Knowing all this, my question becomes, how many more damaging and deadly wildfires, floods, or hurricanes need to happen before we get it?
We must demand more from our leaders, from our friends, and from ourselves. Until we do, these extreme events will only become more extreme and as this past year has shown us, no continent is immune from global warming and its impacts.
Do you have any good ideas on how people can bring up these important but challenging conversations? Or maybe you have some great tips on how you can incorporate earth-friendly habits into your life? OR maybe you read all this and you have NO idea what’s going on and you have a million questions!? Regardless of what situation you’re in, leave a comment below and I’d love to get back to you!
