Extreme Weather??? Blame climate change.

 
Caleb Lawless
 

 Extreme weather events seem to be making the news more and more these days. Think about Hurricane Florence and the wildfires in California, not to mention the countless floods and droughts worldwide that did not make the news. Every time one of these events is being covered on TV, I always wonder if there is a way they could be prevented. It turns out that humans are not able to prevent these events, but we are able to contribute to the cause of them.

While some people may resist the topic, environmental scientists have determined that climate change is fueling extreme weather. As you can see by the graphic above, natural disasters and their cost have been increasing since the 1980's. Since the 80's, extreme climate and weather events have cost the US over a trillion dollars in damages, and climate change is to blame.


In the US, especially in 2018, our most damaging source of extreme weather comes through the form of storms and hurricanes. Since the earth is warming, more water is taken in during evaporation, which results in storms becoming more intense. For example, scientists have determined that the rainfall that occurred during hurricane Harvey, was fifteen percent more intense than it should have been due to the effects of human caused climate change. Because of the higher evaporation rate caused by increased temperatures, scientists believe that we will see a higher number of category four and five storms in the coming years. These types of storms will cause billions of dollars in damages. The high evaporation rates, due to increased temperatures, not only increase the risk of storms, but also hurt plants in areas which do not see ample rainfall.

 
To combat this future of increased extreme weather, architects have come up with ideas for infrastructure that can resist extreme weather, such as round and earth sheltered houses. However, many of these ideas are a long ways away from entering the mainstream protocol and only protect against one type of extreme weather. The bottom line right now is that our current infrastructure will not be able to withstand the future consequences of climate change.

 In order to prevent a future filled with unusually high amounts of extreme heat waves, droughts, floods and intense hurricanes, real steps need to be taken to help curb climate change. After all, the natural disasters that keep occuring are no longer natural, but instead fueled by climate change.




What are some methods that individuals can use to can help slow down climate change?

Should we put more resources into infrastructure that can resist extreme weather events or more resources into fighting climate change?

Works cited:

https://nca2014.globalchange.gov
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/
https://www.edf.org/climate/climate-change-and-extreme-weather
https://www.businessinsider.com/buildings-that-survive-hurricanes-floods-architecture-2018-4

Comments

Anonymous said…
To combat climate change people can utilize renewable energy sources because it is best for our environment. A big contributor to climate change in my opinion is the vast number of cars that produce emissions into the air. Instead of using a car to travel a short distance people can make a change and go on a bike or walk there. Hybrid and electrical vehicles are also way better than normal vehicles when it comes to protecting the environment also. Weather is just going to keep on hitting more and more extremes if we don’t do something to change and quick because the world is getting hotter as we go on with our daily lives right now. Infrastructure will always need to be renovated and by just upgrading our buildings I think that would mean that we are avoiding the issue by producing a short term defense against it. Rather than focusing on infrastructure for defense from climate change maybe we should focus on improving ourselves to fight against climate change. By building infrastructure to resist the temperature we are just deceiving ourselves because the temperature will continue to grow regardless. It may be easier to continue to build buildings like ostriches with our heads in the sand, but what we really need is more unity and action against emitting these fossil fuels.
February 26, 2019 at 8:54 PM
Anonymous said…
We could combat climate change by using changing many of our daily practices. We could reduce the amount of methane gases being used by finding other types of energy that don’t make methane as a result. Which leads to the next big thing to do, we need to utilize more renewable resources. This a topic that has been in effect for a long time and yet we still have a rising temperature issue as shown in Caleb’s graphic. It’s preposterous and we really need to crack down on the usage of each non renewable. Another thing as well is to reduce and reuse our items instead of making them one time use items which will be thrown away. With that logic in certain cases, teachers would have to throw the chairs we sit on each period because once that student is done, the chair served its one time purpose. What we honestly need is a grip to how much we’re going to suffer in a few years with all these varying climate changes. You could argue that as humans we will adapt, but tell me when we run out of our nonrenewables protecting us, what will we do then?
February 27, 2019 at 8:07 AM
Anonymous said…
Although there is not much that we can do about what is already done in climate change, if we are aware of what is causing these extreme weather events, we can figure that they will keep coming just as strong or even stronger. We should take this into considersation for the safety of the people. We should invest in better infastructure that can withstand natural disasters. For example, hurricane Katrina was less intense than Hurricane Harvey, but since New Orleans did not have as good infrastructure for hurricanes than Texas, they ended up more extremely devastated. THis is not to degrade how upsetting hurricane Harvey was, however. If we want to try to prevent these natural disasters from becoming more intense as we have seen, we need to take action against climate change. WE need to find more sustainable enters alternatives fast so that we can make that transition and slow climate change as much as we can.
February 27, 2019 at 11:30 AM
Anonymous said…
Climate change is a runway train and we as a world need to find a way to slow this train down. We need to regulate and find ways to stop industries that produce an excess of methane gases as a way to combat climate change. I think that education of what climate change does and what will happen if we don’t try to stop it will certainly help. I’ve people all over social media that will take a picture in snow and claim that climate change isn’t a thing. It’s naive to think that it isn’t happening and people will not change their mind on their views. I think a huge problem is the role of politics in the environment as both sides of the aisle are split. This causes a problem due to the fact that no deal will get done to help climate change. This makes the future look grim and unity is a necessity but this is becoming more of dream than a reality.
February 28, 2019 at 11:19 AM
Anonymous said…
Climate change is a pretty hard topic to talk about as it is very hard to prevent and even harder to fix all the effects it has on the planet. I think one of the biggest thing us as a planet can do to make the effects of the natural disasters less extreme is to invest in stronger materials/infrastructure in order for it to be easier to damage and it would be safer for people in general. A stronger infrastructure means a lesser chance of deaths and a lesser chance of damage to the environment. We can also start using more renewable energy resources as many forms of transportation produce a lot of air pollution which is slowly taking over our planet. We need to prevent fossil fuels as much as we can in order for climate change to not get worse.
February 28, 2019 at 11:19 AM
Anonymous said…
I think it’s a topic that we are aware of but don’t do much to change it. For example we hear about the icebergs melting at the poles, resulting in loss of habitats but we still don’t do anything. I think that we don’t understand the large effects that occur due to climate change such as natural disasters. If people are educated on all that happens, that directly effects humans we may be more careful about how we use resources and decrease pollution that is one of the causes of the climate change.
February 28, 2019 at 11:56 AM
Anonymous said…
Due to the climate changing at an alarming rate, there’s no doubt that we need to do something about it. Funneling resources into better structured housing is a good idea, but if the climate continues to change, we will have to constantly change houses to their new climate every few years or so. The main thing that needs to be done is that we need to combat climate change directly. This is something we can not just ignore by using our resources to make a small thunder dome that might not work in the new climate coming its way. I think people should mind what their habits are day to day and make an effort to be a greener person. Plant trees, grow plants, recycle, reduce your waste, etc. If we can start with one person, we can pass it onto others.
March 1, 2019 at 11:39 AM
Anonymous said…
Climate change is a common discussion topic today. But people usually see it as a future problem rather than a now problem. The ice caps are melting, but it hasn't caused any alarming issues yet, so no one really worries about it. Of course, this isn't correct, but it is the common way of thinking about it. Reading about disasters that climate change has already caused makes me view it in a different way. The whole US needs to start finding ways to help reduce it.
March 1, 2019 at 6:43 PM
Anonymous said…
To slow down climate change, we can reduce carbon emmissions. Carbon emmissions from cars is a major contributor to global warming. While switching over to hybrid/electric cars does have some negative drawbacks, it would help solve carbon emmissions from cars. Also, our reliance on fossil fuels contributes to global warming. Switching over to renewable resources can combat overusing fossil fuels. At this point in time, it will be hard to reduce climate change, but we should still continue to look into ways to prevent it. However, currently it would be best to look into infrastructure that can resist climate change. We can turn to places like Japan for smart infrastructure designed to withstand hurricanes and earthquakes.
March 2, 2019 at 10:29 AM
Anonymous said…
I always knew that the dangers of climate change existed, but I never knew that it resulted in more extreme natural disasters. In order for us to protect the future, the government needs to institute stricter rules regarding the emission of green house gasses. Although individuals can do things to prevent the extremities of climate change, like car pooling, in order for there to be mass benefits the government needs to take charge. Additionally, the government should not put more resources into building resistant infrastructures but rather into fighting climate change. Although these infrastructures might protect the current population, they are not long term. These infrastructures can only protect the people for so long before climate changes causes these natural disasters to become even more worse. Through finding ways to reduce climate change, we would be saving the earth and protecting future generations.
March 3, 2019 at 3:06 PM
Anonymous said…
Climate change has been a recognized problem all over the world for some time now, but not enough is being done to stop it. It seems like other countries are attempting to take important steps for the future of the world in order to try and prevent this phenomenon, but the U.S. isn’t doing the same. To combat climate change, we have to reduce carbon emissions and start to depend on renewable resources more.
March 3, 2019 at 5:57 PM
Anonymous said…
Climate change is an extrempressing issue because it endangers all life on Earth. A common misconception is that global warming only leads to warmer temperatures which cause the ice caps to melt, but its effects are much more widespread than people seem to believe. Colder winters, storms and odd weather patterns, and changing currents are all associated with global warming. The effects are getting worse every year and happening so rapidly that I’ve noticed it in my own lifetime. At one point this winter, Chicago was experiencing lower temperatures than Antarctica. It was so cold that moving rivers were freezing over and throwing hot coffee in the air caused it to freeze instantly. If that along with the amount of storms and earthquakes being recorded in comparison to previous years isn’t enough to influence change, then we are hopeless. Humans need to stop emitting so many harmful gasses into the atmosphere and find alternate sources of energy if we plan on surviving much longer.
March 3, 2019 at 6:52 PM
Anonymous said…
Climate change has been one of the most dangerous things to Earth ever since we have noticed it happening around 1980 or so. While the effects of what we have done cannot be reversed, we can combat against having hurricanes be as devastating as they are right now. The United States is a big culprit of standing idle when climate change can produce an imminent threat in hurricanes or huge floods and so on. To change things, we should invest in using renewable energy sources such as countries like France and to stop carbon emissions into the atmosphere. We also need to build sturdier buildings with better materials than what we have now so we can reduce the impact of hurricanes.
March 4, 2019 at 7:05 AM
Anonymous said…
I think it would be more beneficial in the long term to put our resources into combatting climate change rather than spending money trying to build infrastructure that can combat these storms. Climate change is a global issue and it is stemming mainly from human actions. The extreme use of fossil fuels and waste that humans consider normal is dramatically altering our world. The effects of climate change cannot be reversed, and we are already facing extreme consequences like the storms and disasters you mentioned. We need to work smarter and harder in order to minimize the effects that our actions have on our world. Alternative, renewable forms of energy are available - many people are just hesitant to use them. Some people disregard the idea of climate change altogether. If we don’t work to seriously change our actions, the consequences will get progressively worse.
March 4, 2019 at 2:31 PM
Anonymous said…
Climate change has been an issue dating back many years, but not much has been done to combat it. We have been waiting until its effects have become very serious and deadly to begin thinking about solving this important issue. It is more important to spend resources fighting climate change. If we just use them to strengthen our infrastructure, we are only pushing away the issue until it becomes even worse in the future. At one point, we won't be able to survive against the drastic effects of climate change because we have spent all of this time making short term solutions rather than long term ones.
March 4, 2019 at 4:06 PM
Anonymous said…
Climate change is something that has been the topic of debate for many years. While some may deny its existence, it is impossible to argue with the fact that we are having stronger storms and more intense weather each year, worse than the last. I think that infrastructure can only do so much. Other than getting rid of all carbon emission, we have no choice but to cut back on fossil fuels, or we will have paved the path for our own destruction.
March 4, 2019 at 4:39 PM
Anonymous said…
Climate change is changing our everyday life and will continue to due so if we don’t start making changes to our lives right now. Some people may think that harsh winters and cold weather mean that global warming isn’t even real, but the truth is that global warming (climate change) is what is causing those freak storms and weather conditions. We need to educate people about the reality of climate change and get more and more people to start realizing that this is a real problem and that we need to do our part in order to help stop climate change.
March 4, 2019 at 6:18 PM
Anonymous said…
I think the idea of building weather resistant infrastructure is treating the symptom. For an individual to slow down climate change, one can purchase an electric car. In fact, electric cars are cheaper than gas cars (no need for brake replacements or gas), so it's foreseeable for most cars to be electric in the near future. Additionally, one may opt to purchase solar panels (this is a more expensive option). One can also mail their Representative a letter advising them to subsidize solar energy research. The main cause of climate change is the burning of fossil fuel. Once we stop this, we can start reversing the effects.
March 4, 2019 at 9:35 PM
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
March 5, 2019 at 7:09 AM
Anonymous said…
To lower climate change we can push for reduced methane emissions from fracked gas. This is because Methane is 84 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year time frame. This gas alone is responsible for one-quarter of the observed changes to Earth’s climate. Another way is to use energy wisely. By being more energy efficient, you will pollute less and in result save money. All we have to do is make small changes; change to energy-efficient light bulbs, unplug computers, TVs and other electronics when you are not using them, and more. We don’t need to put in more resources to resist weather events or too fighting climate change. We just need to start changin the way we do things to the most energy efficient ways like drying cloths by hanging instead of using the machine. When more people start to realize this issue, they will begin to help the problem.
March 5, 2019 at 7:11 AM
Anonymous said…
To help slow down the climate change, we can attempt to use renewable sources for energy in stead of non renewable resources, such as fossil fuel. But to do this, I think we should , as we always mention, to educate people about the problem. If no one knows what is going on and what the problem is, there is no way to find a solution.
March 5, 2019 at 8:04 AM
Anonymous said…
In order to lower climate change, we need to control the amount of electricity we use and the amount of emissions we contribute. This is the number one factor in reducing the rate of climate change in the world. We need to stray away from the purchasing of fossil fuel vehicles and lean more towards electric and hybrid vehicles. Governments such as the United States offer tax refunds and rebates for the purchase of electric vehicles, making them more affordable for the masses. Furthermore, cheaper solar cells and alternatives are also available, and one can convert their house to start using a solar-based power system. Simple purchases like this can help reduce one’s ecological footprint and slightly reduce the rate of climate change.
March 5, 2019 at 10:23 AM
Anonymous said…
A big way to combat climate change is calling politicians as well as everyday people to action and educating them. Laws need to be put in place and the importance of our Eartth and its resources need to be understood from a very young age. Simple things can lower each and every one of our ecological footprints. While this is a serious issue, it is not a problem that has a rapid solution, therefore we need to start planning now to meet our twelve year climate change deadline.
March 5, 2019 at 9:38 PM
Anonymous said…
Climate change has been a huge issue for decades, harming habitats of organisms and ecosystems around the world. I think we need to lower our use of electricity and lower polluting emissions in our world today to help lower this drastic climate change in the world. Because of our extreme consumption of fossil fuels, our ecological footprints are very large and affect many parts of the world we don’t know are affected. It is also crucial we make alternate forms of energy more accessible and more culturally acceptable to use as many people do not use these as it is not widely used. Bringing more attention to these renewable sources will help spread awareness of how climate change is affecting our earth, giving people incentive to invest in reducing fossil fuel consumption. If we don’t take the means to combat climate change, it will change our earth permanently as it already is and will cause much harm on organisms that cannot survive in warmer temperatures.
March 6, 2019 at 8:04 AM
Anonymous said…
Climate change has and will always be one of the biggest issues on earth and it is extremely dangerous. It could harm us and our properties and our work and effort that we put in all together. However I feel like we are not putting enough effort in trying to fix this overall climate change. It would be hard for us to change everything in a short amount of time because this issue requires a long term effort in solving. In my opinion, the best reason why climate change continuously occur is because of our treatment of this whole environment. We throw away trash without thinking of recycling or we cut trees and use excessive amount of nonrenewable resources everywhere. In order to fix this problem, we must put our effort in educating ourselves first and learning the importance in fixing this situation by making better decisions.
March 7, 2019 at 7:41 AM
Anonymous said…
I believe that in order for humans to truly create change is for all of them to work together. Too often countries are restricted from each other and do not give each other the beneficial care and information they need. By this I mean that countries should work to help each other out by sending resources, information, and solutions to many of the earth’s problems. Whether its creating stronger shelters, providing medical supplies, or sharing technology. We as humans can create change together.
March 7, 2019 at 9:26 AM
Anonymous said…
I believe that we need to ultimately start using green energy asap, there is so much empty space in America where we could have solar feilds, and windmill farms. With us stepping away from the rapis consumption of fossil fuel we will slowly but surly drop the emissions of green house gasses. But in the mean and in between time we need to help build better infrastructure for the regions that are most likely to be effected by the severe weather happening currently. Places where flash flooding is common or where hurricanes hit they should build homes on riser of stilts. In Louisiana, your home has to flood around 8 times for your insurance to give you money to raise it. Foundations in both buildings and homes should be more flexible and regions should prepare for the worse cases possible.
March 7, 2019 at 10:38 AM
Anonymous said…
As stated within the post, climate change is the reason for the extreme weather that has devastated us so constantly these past few years. Although not preventable by direct human intervention, what we can do is slowly but surely try to bring our climate back to normal, or at least as normal as it can back to. Environmental change has largely occurred due to human interference so it is up to ourselves to bring it back to normal. We have to hold ourselves accountable to what we have done, whether or not you are contributing to Earth’s degradation or not.
March 7, 2019 at 11:03 AM
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