WARSAW, Sept 25 (Reuters) - A recent report indicates that climate change has significantly increased the likelihood of severe flooding events, such as the devastating floods that struck central Europe this month, resulting in 24 fatalities. The floods, described as the worst in two decades, have left towns covered in mud and debris, with extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure, leading to repair costs in the billions.
The report from World Weather Attribution, an international scientific group, revealed that the rainfall associated with Storm Boris was the heaviest ever recorded in the region over a four-day period. It concluded that climate change has made such extreme downpours at least twice as likely and increased their intensity by 7%.
Joyce Kimutai, a researcher at Imperial College London's Grantham Institute and co-author of the study, emphasized the urgent need for policymakers to address fossil fuel consumption to mitigate the effects of climate change. She stated, 'Until oil, gas and coal are replaced with renewable energy, storms like Boris will unleash even heavier rainfall, driving economy-crippling floods.'
The report also outlined that the unusual weather patterns contributing to the storm, which included cold air from the Alps interacting with warmer air from the Mediterranean and Black Seas, have been intensified by climate change. Currently, such storms are expected to occur once every 100 to 300 years, but with a projected increase in global temperatures, their frequency and severity are expected to rise significantly in the coming decades.