As the proud successor to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, and recently named the world’s top environmental think tank, C2ES provides independent analysis and innovative solutions to the twin challenges of energy and climate change.

Extreme Weather

Find answers to some of the most frequently asked climate science questions and learn about the realities and misconceptions of climate change science.

Keep up to date on current extreme weather events, climate change, and risk management.
 

Extreme Weather and Climate Change

With recent extreme weather events, many people are asking about the connection between single events and climate change. However, that is not the question we should be asking. When we ask if climate change “caused” a particular event, we pose a fundamentally unanswerable question. This assures that we will often fail to draw connections between individual weather events and climate change, leading us to disregard the real risks of more extreme weather due to global warming. Given the uncertainties and risks, it does not make sense to focus on whether individual events are supercharged by climate change. Instead we should take lessons from actual events about our current vulnerabilities and the risks to society caused by unabated greenhouse gas emissions that drive extreme weather risks ever higher over time.

Scientific American Series on Extreme Weather, Climate Change, and the Risks We Face

Published in three parts in June 2011, these articles by science journalist John Carey provide insights and eye-witness accounts of recent record-breaking weather events and the link to climate change, the science behind it all, and what can be done to manage the growing risks.

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Mapping Extreme Weather

Our extreme weather map helps you understand the extent of weather disasters the U.S. has experienced from 1995 to 2011. Sort by event type see of the different weather risks the U.S. encountered over time. We break it down by:

  • Flooding
  • Heat Wave
  • Wildfire
  • Drought

Our white paper, A Climate of Extreme Weather, provides an understanding of U.S. impacts and vulnerability

 

 

 

Extreme Weather and Climate Change: Understanding the Link, Managing the Risk

This extreme weather primer answers some of the most pressing questions about the connection between recent events and climate change. This white paper clarifies the link between extreme weather and climate change and presents climate change in a risk management framework so as to understand the threats of future extreme weather and prepare for future vulnerabilities. Learn more about extreme weather and climate change.