Climate change is already making extreme weather events more frequent and more intense. As the Earth’s atmosphere warms, the air can hold more moisture. This extra moisture leads to more frequent and more intense storms, as well as more flooding.
A warmer atmosphere also means that storms can pick up more energy from the ocean and carry it inland. This increases the damage caused by storms and flooding.
Climate change is also causing sea levels to rise. This makes flooding worse when storms do occur.
There are a few things we can do to reduce the impact of climate change on flooding and storm damage. Reducing our emissions of greenhouse gases will help to slow the warming of the atmosphere and reduce the severity of future storms.
Improving our infrastructure can also help to reduce the damage caused by floods and storms. Stronger buildings and better drainage systems can help to limit the amount of damage caused by these events.
Sources:
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-and-extreme-weather
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/extreme-weather-and-climate-change/
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/extreme-weather-and-climate-change