Extreme events in the USA, India and Japan: it is the “new normal” of climate change

The governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, in commenting on dramatic flooding in the Hudson Valley and a deluge in Vermont (defined as the most devastating rainfall since 2011’s Hurricane Irene) spoke of the “new normal”. Climate change is this, with data confirming how only ten years ago extreme events such as these would have seemed exceptionalan unexpected disaster, while now they are, in fact, on the agenda.

It’s also worrying simultaneity of these extreme events in different areas of the planet. Yesterday the schools of New Delhi were forced to close as heavy monsoon rains hit the Indian capital, with landslides and flash floods killing at least 15 people in the past three days. Further north, the flooding of the Beas River swept vehicles downstream and flooded neighborhoods.

Also yesterday, in JapanTorrential rains hit the southwest, causing flooding and mudslides that left two dead and at least six others missing. Local TV showed the damage to homes in Fukuoka prefecture and the muddy water of the Yamakuni River threatening to overwhelm a bridge in Yabakei city.

They are the latest in a string of record events that have seen extreme drought in Spain and severe heatwaves in China and the United States. The World Meteorological Organization said in this regard that “according to preliminary data, the world has just experienced the hottest week in the world with potentially devastating impacts on ecosystems and the environment. We are in uncharted territory and can expect more records to fall as El Niño develops further and that these impacts extend to 2024,” he concluded Christopher HewittWTO director of climate services.

The “new normal” of extreme events strikes everywhere. In Emilia Romagna, with last month’s flood, as in Japan and India. The data doesn’t lie: just in Italy since the beginning of 2023 extreme events have increased by +135% compared to those of the beginning of 2022. In particular, in the Peninsula, from January to May, 122 extreme events were recorded against 52 in the same months of 2022.

In June last year floods brought Pakistan to its knees: now a World Weather Attribution study by an international team of scientists has found that “5-day rainfall peaks over Sindh and Balochistan provinces, which were two of the hardest hit provinces, are now about 75% heavier than they would have been if the climate hadn’t warmed by 1.2°C“.

While the EU Parliament is discussing the Restoration Law and the parties that oppose it speak of “damage to the economy if it is approved”, the World Economic Forum underlines that “Climate change is bound to have a significant economic impact on many countries, with a large number of low-income countries particularly at risk. The macroeconomic policies of these countries will need to be calibrated to cope with more frequent climate shocks, including by creating a policy space to respond to shocks. Infrastructure will need to be strengthened to increase economic resilience” . Furthermore, in the face of costs of 252.1 billion dollars in costs caused by extreme climatic events (Emdat 2021 estimates), there are many studies that have shown how much spending to stem climate change and implement mitigation and adaptation interventions is in an investment that is not only necessary, but profitable.