Climate change puts Philippines at double risk from typhoons, scientists say
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Climate change is making the Philippines more vulnerable to tropical storms, with rising temperatures already nearly doubling the country’s risk of deadly typhoons, scientists said in a report released on Thursday.
Researchers from the World Weather Attribution Organization said in a report released on Thursday that the likelihood of an unprecedented four typhoons forming around the Philippines last month increased by 70% as global temperatures rose by 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 degrees Fahrenheit).
Although scientists are cautious about attributing individual weather events to climate change, the consensus is that ocean warming is increasing rainfall and wind speeds around the world.
News you can trust and daily fun, right in your inbox
See it for yourself — The Yodel is your go-to source for daily news, entertainment and light-hearted stories.
“Climate change has almost doubled the likelihood of typhoons forming and fueling them,” the organization said.
An unprecedented six tropical cyclones made landfall in the country in October and November, evacuating hundreds of thousands of people and killing more than 170 people, raising concerns that rising sea surface temperatures would intensify storm activity.
“It is more likely that the storm will develop more violently and reach the Philippines with higher intensity than it would have otherwise,” said Ben Clark, a meteorological researcher at Imperial College London and one of the report’s authors.
He added that if temperatures rose to 2.6 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the same storms would be 40% more likely than now.
An analysis published last month by U.S. meteorological researchers at the Climate Center reported that hurricanes have intensified significantly due to record ocean warming, with wind speeds increasing by 18 mph (29 kph).
Scientists believe that rising ocean temperatures will increase evaporation rates and intensify tropical storms. In its latest assessment, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said it has “a high degree of confidence” that global warming will make storms more intense.
It’s unclear whether rising temperatures will lengthen the normal typhoon season or make tropical storms more frequent, but climate activists are concerned.
“We used to have what was called a hazard calendar, and now it’s basically year-round,” said Afshir Rameses, Philippines representative for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
(Reporting by David Steinway; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
