Fact brief – Has human-caused climate change increased extreme weather?

Posted on 23 November 2024 by Guest Author

Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline.

Has human-caused climate change increased extreme weather?

Planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather, jeopardizing the stability of ecosystems and human populations.

Warmer temperatures increase evaporation while warmer air holds more moisture. This has caused prolonged heat waves and drought in some regions and intensified precipitation, storms, and flooding in others.

Global warming has also increased sea levels due to ice melt and thermal expansion of the oceans, worsening storm surges and coastal flooding.

Impacts of these ongoing trends include ecosystem disruption, crop failures, water shortages, infrastructure damage, mass displacement, and increased disease and death.

In a study published in 2023, researchers used satellites to measure abnormally wet or dry conditions around the world between 2002 and 2021. They concluded that “extreme hydroclimatic events” are increasing with global warming, risking “dire consequences for human health, food security, human migration and regional unrest and conflict.”

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Sources

Environmental Defense Fund Extreme weather is getting a boost from climate change

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate change impacts

Nature Changing intensity of hydroclimatic extreme events revealed by GRACE and GRACE-FO

About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact — a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all of our published fact briefs here.