- Ex-Dutch football star Johan Neeskens dies
- Man Utd battling to improve fortunes, says Evans
- What is microRNA? Nobel-winning discovery explained
- Masood, Abdullah centuries lift Pakistan to 328-4 in first England Test
- Hurricane Milton strengthens fast, threatens Mexico, Florida
- Tunisia's President Saied set for landslide election win
- Barca hoping to return to Camp Nou 'by end of year'
- Trump to open second golf course at Scotland resort in summer 2025
- Super-sub Jhon Duran rewarded with new Aston Villa deal
- US duo win Nobel for gene regulation breakthrough
- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
CMSC | -0.02% | 24.695 | $ | |
SCS | -1.35% | 12.797 | $ | |
BTI | -0.23% | 35.21 | $ | |
GSK | 0.51% | 39.02 | $ | |
RIO | -0.07% | 69.65 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.11% | 24.785 | $ | |
NGG | -0.96% | 65.87 | $ | |
BP | 0.9% | 33.18 | $ | |
AZN | -0.16% | 77.35 | $ | |
RYCEF | 0% | 6.98 | $ | |
BCE | 0.04% | 33.725 | $ | |
RBGPF | -1.16% | 60.1 | $ | |
BCC | -1.58% | 136.738 | $ | |
RELX | -0.9% | 45.875 | $ | |
JRI | -0.15% | 13.26 | $ | |
VOD | 0.22% | 9.681 | $ |
Climate change made historic Brazil floods twice as likely: scientists
Climate change doubled the likelihood of the historic floods in southern Brazil and amplified intense rains caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon, scientists said Monday.
Three months' worth of rain was dumped on the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul over two weeks in an "extremely rare event, expected to occur only once every 100-250 years," according to a study published by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group.
The flooding in late April and early May submerged cities, farms and an international airport, affecting more than 90 percent of the vast state, an area equivalent to that of the United Kingdom.
The disaster left 172 people dead and displaced around 600,000.
"The researchers estimated that climate change made the event more than twice as likely and around six to nine percent more intense," the WWA said in a statement.
On top of that, the El Nino phenomenon made rainfall between three and 10 percent more intense, said the global network of scientists that assesses the link between extreme weather events and climate change.
"The scary thing about these floods is that they show us that the world needs to be prepared for events so extreme, they are unlike anything we've seen before," said Maja Vahlberg, climate risk consultant at Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre.
Regina Rodrigues, a researcher at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, said the disaster showed that even when El Nino was in a weakening phase, as it currently is, it could be extremely dangerous
"Climate change is amplifying the impact of El Nino in southern Brazil by making an extremely rare event more frequent and intense," she said.
Of the four biggest floods ever seen in the regional capital Porto Alegre, "three occurred in the last nine months," Rodrigues told a press conference.
"This is very rare."
- False sense of safety -
Rio Grande do Sul is particularly vulnerable to flooding, with a vein-like network of river systems covering the region.
Porto Alegre lies on the banks of the Guaiba Lake where five rivers converge before emptying into South America's largest freshwater lagoon, the Lagoa dos Patos.
However, until 2023 the city had not seen a major flood in six decades.
This may have lulled residents into a false sense of security, said Maja Vahlberg, Climate risk consultant at Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre.
An expansive flood protection system in Porto Alegre, built after deluges in 1941 and 1967, was designed to withstand water levels up to six meters (20 feet). However, Vahlberg said a lack of maintenance saw it start to fail at 4.5 meters.
Criticized by residents as ugly and blocking their view of the lake, the system faced a push in recent years to have it dismantled entirely.
- 'Buffer the impact' -
Warnings had been issued a week before the flooding, but these may not have reached everyone and "the public may not have understood the severity of the expected impact," said Vahlberg.
The scientists said deforestation, to make way for agriculture, and the rapid urbanization of cities like Porto Alegre also "worsened the impacts."
The study cited data showing that 22 percent of the state's native vegetation has been lost in less than four decades -- much of it converted into soybean plantations.
It also highlighted that at least 240 informal settlements, 80 indigenous villages, and 40 communities that are home to descendants of enslaved Africans were severely impacted.
"Implementing policies that make people less vulnerable, increasing protection against floods and restoring natural ecosystems to buffer the impact of heavy rains are some ways by which governments can avoid human deaths and limit the damage from these events," said Vahlberg.
A.F.Rosado--PC