Researchers found links between climate change and extreme weather

By Ashwini Sakharkar 14 Sep, 2024

Collected at: https://www.techexplorist.com/researchers-found-links-between-climate-change-extreme-weather/89689/

Researchers from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication have discovered that discussing the connections between climate change and extreme weather events is not only scientifically sound but also an impactful way to help individuals relate their personal experiences to the issue of climate change.

In early July, temperatures in California’s Death Valley National Park soared to 125 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for nine consecutive days. This was followed by a June heatwave in the eastern U.S., affecting nearly 100 million people under an excessive heat advisory. Additionally, in August, a heat wave in Chicago led to the cancellation or early dismissal of classes just as the new school year had commenced.

Scientists emphasize that extreme weather events like these are becoming more frequent and severe as a result of climate change. Therefore, effectively communicating the connection between climate change and extreme weather is increasingly crucial in fostering action against climate change.

“We have found that communicating these links can help depolarize the issue,” said Anthony Leiserowitz, the founder and Director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) at the Yale School of Environment. “Weather can help ground the conversation in lived experience, which is not interpreted by most Americans as ‘political.’”

In 2023, YPCCC partnered with Climate Central to drive climate action by highlighting the connections between climate change and extreme weather. As part of a Climate Week NYC series hosted by Yale Planetary Solutions, YPCCC, Potential Energy Coalition, the Bezos Earth Fund, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, and the Global Strategic Communications Council will share research on attribution and communication science, along with successful message examples.

“As climate change intensifies extreme weather events, our research shows that half of Americans perceive this trend as a natural change, rather than what it really is: a fossil fuel pollution problem,” said John Marshall, the CEO of Potential Energy Coalition. “By unifying around the right messages, we can help ordinary people understand how climate change already impacts the people and places they love today and dramatically increase support for action.”

In the last decade, attribution science has emerged as a powerful tool for quantifying the impact of climate change on extreme weather events like heat waves, hurricanes, and wildfires. During these events, people actively seek information, presenting an opportunity to raise awareness about climate change and garner support for climate action.

“Beyond the enormous scientific value of these advances, they also support the message that climate change is happening and is caused by humans. It is not distant in time and space; it’s very much here and now and will get much worse if we do not reduce carbon pollution quickly,” said Leiserowitz.

In 2023, researchers at YPCCC conducted a study on a U.S. heat wave. They informed participants that climate change had made heat waves at least five times more likely and explored the impact of different explanations about the link between climate change and heat waves.

The study revealed that presenting the magnitude as a percentage was more effective than the standard framing, resulting in a six-percentage point increase in the belief that climate change had made the July 2023 heat wave more likely.

“When we provide a short explanation of what climate change is and how it connects to extreme weather, large majorities of people immediately say climate change is happening, are worried about it, and support government action,” Leiserowitz said.

Approximately 17 years ago, YPCCC and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication conducted their first nationally representative survey on Climate Change in the American Mind. The survey revealed that many Americans perceived climate change as a distant issue, not realizing its current devastating impacts across the United States. This led to a lack of concern and prioritization of climate change.

The survey also identified meteorologists, especially those delivering daily TV broadcasts, as one of the most trusted sources of information on climate change. This discovery prompted a larger initiative to involve the nation’s weather forecasters as effective climate communicators.

“We still have much to learn about how people respond to these messages, but so far, we see pretty clearly across political and national boundaries that they do help people understand that climate change is happening, is already having serious consequences, and to support greater climate action,” Leiserowitz said.