An analysis by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) that focused on heavy rainfall from recent cyclones “Senyar” and “Ditwah” in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka, has found that warmer sea surface temperatures over the North Indian Ocean added energy to the cyclones, feeding the intense rainfall that triggered deadly floods and landslides that killed more than 1,600 people, with hundreds still missing.
The cyclones are the latest in a series of deadly weather disasters affecting Southeast Asia this year, resulting in loss of life and property damage.
Sea surface temperatures over the North Indian Ocean were 0.2 degrees Celsius higher than the average over the past three decades, according to WWA researchers. The warmer ocean temperatures provided heat and moisture to the storms.
Without global warming, the sea surface temperatures would have been about 1 degree Celsius colder than they were, according to the analysis.
When measuring overall temperatures, the world is currently 1.3 degrees Celsius warmer than the global average during preindustrial times in the 19th century, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“When the atmosphere warms, it can hold more moisture. As a result, it rains more in a warmer atmosphere as compared to a world without climate change,” said one of the report’s authors, Mariam Zachariah, from the Centre for Environmental Policy at the Imperial College of London.
In addition, Jemilah Mahmood from the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health said that global warming is a “powerful amplifier” to the deadly floods, typhoons, and landslides that ravaged Asia this year. “The region and the world have been on this path because, for decades, economic development was prioritized over climate stability.”
The analysis found that across the affected countries, rapid urbanization, high population density, and infrastructure in low-lying flood plains have elevated exposure to flood events.
The Philippine experience with storms and flooding simply confirms such findings, as we have seen firsthand how extreme weather events have increased in frequency and intensity, now regularly endangering lives and property.
Our short and long term future under the shadow of a planet that is turning wrathful will depend on how we adapt and move forward. We simply have to be better at finding ways to mitigate the threats and minimize the damage, while at the same time lobbying for the global community to do better in its efforts to slow down the global warming that is not just an amplifier, but the root cause of a lot of humanity’s problems.*
