Global warming has most likely made floods in Pakistan worse

By Andreea Dibo, Health & Environment, The Pawprint

According to scientists the floods forming in Pakistan are likely from global warming and that climate change has increased the intensity of rainfall. Since the two months from when Pakistan started receiving floods, there has been more than ten million people being affected and 1,500 people have died due to the water levels rising more each year, as well as the increase in downpours the Indus banks burst. But it’s challenging to evaluate extreme rainfall events. In the monsoon zone, where Pakistan is situated, the pattern of rainfall varies greatly from year to year.
Over the summer’s 60-day period of highest rainfall saw an increase in rainfall of over 75% over the Indus river basin, while the heaviest five days of rainfall in Sindh and Balochistan saw an increase of about 50%.
“What we saw in Pakistan is exactly what climate projections have been predicting for years. It’s also in line with historical records showing that heavy rainfall has dramatically increased in the region since humans started emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. And our own analysis also shows clearly that further warming will make these heavy rainfall episodes even more intense.” said Friederike Otto from Imperial College London