Saving Your Planet

As a result of the worsening effects of climate change, we are seeing currently and will continue to experience worsened effects of and in fact more frequent storms, floods and drought. In this article, you will find a broken - down explanation into how these events will occur more regularly and with more force and impact.

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Earth's atmosphere is quickly becoming warmer and moister as a result of the continuous and regular deliveration of human - emitted green-house gases into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases absorb the heat, and then radiate it. Some of this heat will travel away from Earth, some of it will be absorbed by another greenhouse-gas molecule and some of it will wind back up at the surface of the planet again. When more greenhouse gases are released, this heat will remain closer to the Earth - hence, warming the planet.

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Storms/Hurricanes

The fact that storms & hurricanes will become more intense by producing more rainfall and affecting new areas is supported with observational evidence from the North Atlantic. Wind speed is one of the factors that contribute to a hurricanes impact. The sun heats the Earth creating areas of warm air. This warm air is light and rises, during which the cold air moves in to take its place. When there is more warm and moist air rising, wind will blow faster, therefore forming storms which can worsen to form a hurricane.

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In addition to this, with sea-levels rising (which is another effect of climate change), the amount of seawater pushed onto the surface increases leading to more devastating effects. Along with more rainfall, this can result in more flooding. Rising sea-levels are also predicted to make storms/hurricanes wetter, with 10-15% more precipitation in a 2 degrees Celsius climate. 

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The frequency of storms varies from basin to basin. In the North Atlantic Basin, the average number of tropical storms from 1966-2009 is about 11 annually, six of them becoming hurricanes. More recently (2000 - 2014), the average is about 15 annual storms, including about seven hurricanes. This significant increase is due to the rise in North Atlantic sea surface temperatures, which could potentially be related to global warming.

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The impact of storms/hurricanes on a region depends on the severity of the event and the location itself. However, many of the threats posed including loss of life, destruction of buildings, interruption to water, sewage and energy systems, flooding, environmental contaminants and threat to infrastructure and transport can result in long-term consequences such as a strain on the budget of the country. For example, tropical storm Ana hit Southern Africa recently (January 2022). Considering that these countries have lower budgets, the repair from this storm will impact the finances of the country dramatically. (See article here)

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Flooding

Everyday, flooding continues to get worse and worse. Countries such as Australia, the United States, Bangladesh and even smaller countries like Ireland are hit with severe flooding every year. The impact that these events are having on the above countries are continuing to worsen - and the explanation for this is climate change.

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Climate change leads to flooding in three simple ways; heavier precipitation, more-frequent hurricanes and higher-sea levels (as mentioned above).

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Heavier precipitation

As already discussed, the Earth is warming (global warming, i.e. climate change) and the air is becoming more moist and warm. A warmer atmosphere holds and subsequently dumps more water. The hotter the air and atmosphere is, the more precipitation that will occur (as precipitation occurs due to the sun and heat). Because of this, when it rains , it pours heavier, with more materials being excreted back onto the surface in the form of rain, more likely. When downpours are heavier, there is enough content released to cause flooding and therefore, it happens more frequently.

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More - Frequent Hurricanes

As proved above, storms and hurricanes are occurring more frequently due to climate change. This also has an effect on flooding. Indeed, stronger storms will bring stronger rainfall. For example, Hurricane Ida hit the American state of Louisiana in 2021. One of the major effects of the storm was severe flooding taking the lives of 11 people. This was one of the strongest and deadliest storms on record, and it happened so recently! Today, we are seeing one of the worst flooding episodes in natural history, during storms!

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Higher - Sea Levels

Sea - levels are rising at an alarming rate. With higher sea levels and more storms occurring, the water can be pushed onto the shore with the force of the wind (from a storm or sea breeze) causing significant flooding around coastal areas particularly. 

 

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Image: Flooding occurring in Brittas Bay Main Beach, Co. Wicklow, Ireland as a result of rising sea levels. The water, which would usually be much 

further out has pushed through and covered the entrance steps to the beach. Credit photo: Creator

 

Flooding has a serious effect on our communities. From loss of life and destruction of homes to physical landscape ruin and huge repair costs. We must do something in our local areas to prevent or prepare for flooding. 

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