A new report highlights the phenomenon of climate whiplash affecting major cities globally, resulting in severe swings between extreme wet and dry weather. The analysis of 100 populous cities indicates that 95% exhibit trends towards either wetter or drier conditions. This shift poses significant threats, including increased floods, droughts, and the spread of disease, particularly impacting cities with vulnerable water infrastructure. While patterns vary regionally, with drying trends in Europe and increased rainfall in South Asia, the underlying driver is human-induced global warming, leading to unpredictable climate outcomes.
The analysis illustrates the climate chaos being brought to urban areas by human-caused global heating. Too little or too much water is the cause of 90% of climate disasters.
Rising temperatures, driven by fossil fuel pollution, can exacerbate both floods and droughts because warmer air can take up more water vapour.
Cities with poor water infrastructure, like Karachi and Khartoum, suffer the most from extreme weather swings, which worsen access to clean water and sanitation.
Our study shows that climate change is dramatically different around the world... but in ways that are not always predictable.
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