South Africa’s April floods and landslides exacerbated by global warming, reveals study

Latest research has revealed that global warming has exacerbated the enormous and deadly floods that hit South Africa back in April, which were twice as likely and more powerful. According to a report by The Guardian, the research indicates that the climate emergency is causing widespread destruction. On April 11, devastating floods, as well as landslides, struck the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape as a result of unusually high rainfall.

The subtropical storm 'Issa' wreaked havoc across KwaZulu-Natal province, including Durban, killing over 450 people. Approximately 14 inches of rain fell in 48 hours in some parts of the region, which is nearly half of the yearly rainfall, the Independent reported.

Nevertheless, the floods were described as a "catastrophe of enormous proportions" and "the biggest tragedy we have ever seen" by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who later declared a national state of disaster, The Guardian reported. The torrential rains which resulted in massive flash flooding and mudslides killed dozens of citizens in hillside towns. Roughly 6,000 houses as well as key infrastructures such as roadways and hydroelectric dams, were destroyed. Containers from the continent's largest terminal, the Port of Durban, were washed into tangled piles.

The climate crisis made rainfall more frequent and severe: Research

Furthermore, on Friday, the World Weather Attribution (WWA) program released the research which indicated that the climate crisis made rainfall more frequent and severe. WWA is a partnership in the new field of climate research known as Extreme Event Attribution, which investigates if and how climate change affects cyclones, fires, heat waves, cold snaps, as well as droughts.

According to The Independent report, the experts used meteorological data and computer models to compare today's climate, which has warmed 1.1-1.2C in the previous 150 years, with the climate of the past to find out what caused the South African floods.

The WWA findings stated that such an intense rainfall event may now be predicted once every 20 years. Such an occurrence would transpire once every 40 years if not for global warming, which is driven by greenhouse gas emissions from people burning fossil fuels. 

Dr. Izidine Pinto of the University of Cape Town's climate system analysis group said in a statement that if emissions are not decreased and global temperatures are maintained below 1.5 degrees Celsius, catastrophic occurrences "will become increasingly destructive." Dr. Pinto continued, “We need to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a new reality where floods and heat waves are more intense and damaging,” Independent reported.  

South Africa's floods were yet another devastating instance of how climate change-related calamities disproportionately affect society's most marginalised and vulnerable. According to experts, the climate crisis might affect the intensity and likelihood of rainfall. Warmer seas increase the amount of water that evaporates into the atmosphere, and a hotter atmosphere may contain more moisture, increasing the danger of downpours. 

(Image: AP)