The year 2022 witnessed the worst climatic events, especially in the last two decades. The cause of harsh weather events is rooted in the exploitation practiced by man. The year bears witness to varying extreme weather events including droughts, floods, wildfires, and storms.
Scientists across the globe are persuading governments to turn to net zero, cut down on emissions, and curb global warming, as climatic change becomes an obvious threat. In 2023, let’s take a look at some of the worst climate-induced events that people experienced in 2022.
Bomb cyclone in the US
A storm hailing out of the Great Lakes region, bringing with it snow, ice, and howling winds, took hold of the US and killed at least 30 people. What the US is experiencing is the phenomenon of the bomb cyclone. It is a rare phenomenon known for the cold air coming from the Arctic, with falling temperatures. This phenomenon takes place on water bodies with warmth and moisture to feed the storm.
Floods in Pakistan
Pakistan was not prepared for a catastrophe like the floods that submerged parts of the country under the waters of the Indus River. Pakistan experienced a brutal monsoon and floods raising the death toll to over 1,200 people and injuring over 3,000. As estimated, at least 33 percent of the country was flooded as it rained 10 times heavier than usual and most of the Pakistani residents suffered the raging weather. Rain, accompanied by the teeming Indus River, created a huge inland lake, stretching 100 km wide.
Hurricane Ian
Hurricane Ian, a Category-4 storm, stormed into the US after striking Cuba, where 50,000 people were evacuated. On reaching the warm Gulf of Mexico the storm got stronger with a wind speed of over 200 kilometers per hour. As the storm hit Florida, 50,000 of its residents were affected.
The severe climate change added 10 percent more rain than usual to the category-4 storm. The storm worsened on reaching the warm Gulf of Mexico, which is estimated to be 0.8 degrees warmer than average.
Wildfires in the US and Europe
The New Mexico city of Las Vegas was gripped by the largest wildfire in the US caused by strong winds and drought. The fire spread to more than 121,000 acres of forest turning centuries-old settlements and vacations into ruins, situated in the forest-lathered mountains about 48 kilometers northeast of Santa Fe.
According to scientists, the fires, which occurred in May, were the most catastrophic among the many blazes in the Southwest, which contributes to climate change this year. The forest burnt for 40 days in New Mexico as it went through the forest consisting of fuel after the fire suppression and logging ban in the 1990s as per biologists.
European droughts
Climate change at the hands of human activities and the energy crisis, resulted in experiencing the worst drought in almost 500 years, leaving two-thirds of Europe on alert. The drought brought the shipping industry, electricity production, and harvesting of crops to a standstill.
The European Union stated, “47% of Europe was under warning conditions, with a clear deficit of soil moisture, and 17 % in a state of alerts, in which vegetation is affected.” Most of Europe experienced high temperatures this summer, worsening the drought fueling wildfires, setting off health warnings, and calling out action to deal with control climate change.
Heatwaves in India
The Indian Subcontinent witnessed one of the most brutal heat waves in 2022 than in decades. The heat waves were felt in North, Central, and East India from March to May this year. The meteorological department in India gave warnings for high temperatures in March, as summer came in early. The average temperature recorded in March was 33.10 degrees Celsius, setting the bar highest in 122 years since IMD began maintaining records.
While India was affected by the warmest March since 1900s, the UK recorded temperatures as high as 40.3 degrees Celsius. The European wildfires went up to 40.9 degrees Celsius on July 10, the highest ever recorded since 1873.
