The onset of 2025 has been marked by severe weather, including destructive winds and winter storms, coinciding with reports of 2024 being the hottest year due to climate change. Recent advancements in climate science enable researchers to better connect extreme weather events with human causes, indicating significant impacts from rising global temperatures on both severe and everyday weather phenomena. While not all fluctuations are related to climate change, a clearer understanding is emerging regarding the influence of human activity on weather patterns across the globe.
The year 2025 commenced with severe weather across the globe, showcasing fierce winds and unprecedented wildfires in Southern California, alongside significant winter storms affecting the Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions. Amid these events, climate scientists reported that 2024 had emerged as the hottest year on record due to human-induced climate change. Historically, experts hesitated to link single weather occurrences to climate change; however, advancements in climate science now facilitate a clearer understanding of this connection regarding various severe weather phenomena, including heat waves, hurricanes, and wildfires.
In the field of climate science, a distinction exists between climate—a long-term average of weather patterns over a span of 30 years—and weather, which refers to short-term atmospheric conditions. Researchers emphasize that while specific unusual weather events may not always be attributed to climate change, the overarching trend of increasing global temperatures since the mid-1800s is indeed leaving a measurable impact on everyday weather. As temperatures have risen approximately 1.3 degrees Celsius due to fossil fuel combustion, the atmospheric changes contribute to a notable reduction in freezing days and an escalation in heat waves across regions.
In conclusion, while not every unexpected weather event can be directly linked to climate change, the overwhelming evidence indicates that human activities are progressively influencing our weather patterns. The methodologies employed by scientists to detect and attribute climate implications reveal a compelling narrative: our planet is undergoing a transition that alters long-established weather trends, leading to the occurrence of unprecedented extremes. The evolution of detection and attribution science now allows for a clearer insight into how certain severe weather events are more intense due to the warming climate.
Original Source: www.kbia.org
