What Is ‘Global Weirding’? Climate Crisis Hitting World’s Largest Cities As Per Studies | Canva
A report highlights the impact of climate whiplash on major cities, showing severe transitions between extreme wet and dry weather as the climate crisis worsens. Cities like Lucknow, Madrid, and Riyadh have experienced significant shifts in the past 20 years.
The analysis of 100 populous cities revealed that 95% show trends toward wetter or drier conditions. These changes threaten citizens with increased floods and droughts, compromised access to clean water and food, and heightened disease risks, particularly in cities with inadequate infrastructure.
What Is ‘Global Weirding’?
The term “Global weirding” highlights the erratic effects of climate change, characterized by extreme and localized weather events rather than uniform global changes. While climate change includes global warming, it also brings unusual cold spells.
The jet stream, an air current affecting storm movements and temperature distribution, is key to this phenomenon. In summer, warmer conditions push the jet stream northward, causing prolonged heat waves. Conversely, winter conditions lead the jet stream to shift southward, allowing frigid air to move into southern regions, such as Texas, where prolonged cold spells occur due to reduced temperature differences and a slower jet stream.
As global warming disrupts this balance, it contributes to a wobbling jet stream and abnormal weather patterns. Predictions for “global weirding” include rising global temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, stronger hurricanes, and potential sea level rises of eight feet by 2100, along with a projected ice-free Arctic by 2050, illustrating the varied impacts of climate change worldwide.
Climate whiplash is causing significant weather fluctuations in major cities worldwide, with a report highlighting that 95% of the 100 most populous cities have seen trends toward increased wetness or dryness over the past 20 years. Vulnerable cities like Karachi and Khartoum face heightened risks, while regions in Europe and the Arabian Peninsula experience dryness, and South Asia sees heavier rainfall.
The study indicates that human-induced climate change is responsible for notable weather anomalies, with water-related events accounting for most climate disasters, thus emphasizing the need for urgent collective action. It identifies cities such as Khartoum, Faisalabad, and Amman as particularly at risk due to their high vulnerability. Karachi also suffers, exemplified by severe flooding impacting local families.
Over four decades, cities like Paris and Los Angeles have increasingly dry conditions, while Mumbai and Lahore have seen wetter weather. The IPCC report underscores the need for adaptation support as climate shifts intensify, utilizing the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index for assessment.
