New Research Links Climate Change to Likelihood, Severity of Extreme Weather Events

The research, published Thursday as a Special Supplement to the  Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, assesses the role of climate change in intensifying the severity and altering the likelihood of extreme weather events during 2014.

Findings included:

• The greater frequency or severity of extreme weather events, from droughts to floods and heat waves, are some of the most visible present day impacts of climate change.
• Individual events, like temperature extremes, can be linked to additional atmospheric greenhouse gases caused by human activities.
• Australian heat waves during 2014 were included among events which were much more likely to have occurred due to human influence on the climate.

Australian farmers who are on the front line of climate change are already experiencing the impacts of extreme weather on their land, and are increasingly concerned about the likelihood of these events continuing.

The Climate Media Centre can connect media with farmers around Australia who are available to talk about the impact of extreme weather on their land, livelihood and Australia’s food security.