Not too long from now, in our future, we will be dealing with multiple natural disasters all at the same time, a new climate change study has forecasted.
The new research was released on Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change. The research in the new study outlined the numerous impacts that the data indicates can be expected to hit us in the coming years.
The research was done by a team of 23 scientists who reviewed over 3,000 scientific peer-reviewed scientific papers to obtain the data.
Among the impacts studied were: Rising temperatures, heat waves, droughts, wildfires, precipitation, floods, powerful storms, sea level rise, ocean chemistry, land cover, human health, water, food supplies, infrastructure, economies, and security.
Rather than natural disasters coming upon us once at a time, we are likely to see them occur all at once. According to the study, across the globe, planet Earth might be dealing with 3 to 6 natural disasters all occurring at the same time.
“Facing these climatic changes will be like getting into a fight with Mike Tyson, Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Jackie Chan — all at the same time,” Camillo Mora, the lead author of the new study said. “I think we are way above our heads.”
The research has shown how natural disaster threats are not isolated events, but rather forces that compound on top of each other.
In the study, the researchers were able to identify 467 distinct ways in which societies around the world are already being impacted by changes to the climate.
Using our current situation as a starting point, the researchers analyzed ways future threats are likely to compound on one another in the coming decades.
The researchers cite Florida as one example of how the effect climate change can compound. Warmer weather feeds more heat waves, which in turn creates heavier downpours and stronger hurricanes, causing wind and water damage to infrastructure, water quality issues, as well as, sea level rise. The warmer water has also led to increase algae blooms, affecting wildlife, as well as economic loss, including decreased production. It also is responsible for more heat related-health issues.
Citing California as another example, the heat and drought conditions in the state have led to worsening wildfires, which hurts water resources, food production and infrastructure.
The study has been called “one of the most comprehensive assessments yet of how humanity is being impacted by the simultaneous occurrence of multiple climate hazards strengthened by increasing greenhouse gas emissions,” University of Hawaii at Manoa, where several of the scientists who participated in the research are based.
