Are flood conditions getting worse as a result of climate change?
A recent study looked at whether the increasing severity and frequency of flood disasters was caused by "improved reporting by the media, an increasing and expanding global population, or whether climate change is the crucial factor," a Taylor & Francis news release reported.
Past research has found a link between flooding and population density; about 800 million people live in regions that are at risk of catastrophic flooding. This population is expected to rise by 140 million over the course of the 21st century as population growth becomes more prevalent.
Flood conditions will also be exacerbated by reduction of forest coverage, varying river flows, and "[urbanization] of flood plains."
The IPPC's "Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation" (SREX report) showed a link between man-made environmental impacts and heavy precipitation associated with flood risk. The report also predicted that rain and flooding would increase in the near future.
The team found there was a lack of evidence that identified "an influence of anthropogenic climate change on global river flooding," the news release reported.
Other factors can contribute to flooding such as "atmospheric water vapour, evapotranspiration, snowmelt, temperature sequences, ground water and soil moisture content," the news release reported. Further research will be required to determine how climate change could affect these factors and influence future flood risk.
The team urged government entities and scientists alike to use "practical precautionary strategies" when it comes to the future of flood risk, especially because definitive evidence linking greenhouse gas emissions and flooding is extremely complex and "a long time coming."
"The scientific community needs to emphasize that the problem of flood losses is mostly about what we do on or to the landscape and that will be the case for decades to come," the researchers said in the news release.
