Climate change made devastating floods in Europe up to 9 time more likely, reveals study

The heavy rainfall which caused deadly floods across Germany and Belgium in July was made up to nine times more likely due to climate change, according to a study, which gave credence to findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) report. The study also claimed that greenhouse gas emissions from human activities led to global warming, which in turn made downpours in the region up to 20% heavier. It is pertinent to mention here that, in recent times, apart from Germany and Belgium, countries like China, Russia, Greece, Turkey and the US were either ravaged by floods, heatwaves or forest fires.  

'Global warming will lead to more rainfall and floods in Europe'

According to a report by The Guardian, the scientists from the World Weather Attribution group claimed that western and central Europe will witness an increase in rainfall and floods in future as the temperature continues to rise further. The study, which was conducted by a group of 39 scientists used high-resolution computer models, meteorological measurements and peer-reviewed research methods. While researching, the scientists made a comparison between the frequency of heavy rainfall that occurred in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands in the current heated climate and the frequency anticipated in a world where there had been no human-caused climate change. Speaking to The Guardian, Prof Maarten van Aalst, who is one of the scientists who conducted the research, said that there is an urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid such floodings in the future and to countries around the world need to prepare for more extreme weather events, to avoid huge human and economic costs. 

Floods ravaged Germany and Belgium in July

The findings of the research stated that global warming has already worsened the situation, leading to accelerating sea-level rise, increasing heatwaves, droughts, floods and storms. It further revealed that while Arctic sea ice is gradually diminishing in size during the summer, tropical cyclones are also getting stronger. Meanwhile, earlier this month, the IPCC in its report stated that the world will face extreme heatwaves, more floods, droughts in this decade due to increasing global warming. It should be mentioned here that more than 220 people lost their lives in floods that ravaged Germany and Belgium in the month of July. 

Image Credits: AP