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Deadly Dubai floods, scientists make terrifying discovery: Here's what caused them

2024-04-26 08:47:53Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Deadly Dubai floods, scientists make terrifying discovery: Here's what

The record rain that fell on the United Arab Emirates and Oman this month, causing deadly flooding and chaos, was partly caused by the climate crisis, according to a scientific analysis published on Thursday that pointed directly to people burning fossil fuels.

A team of 21 scientists and researchers, under the World Weather Attribution initiative, found that climate change was making extreme rainfall in both countries, which usually falls during El Niño years – between 10 and 40% more intense.

During a period of less than 24 hours between April 14 and 15, the United Arab Emirates experienced its heaviest rainfall since records began 75 years ago. Dubai, a city accustomed to months without any rainfall, experienced the equivalent of more than a year and a half of rain, the analysis said.

Using scientific models, the team was unable to determine exactly how likely climate change was to these floods.

However, they concluded that global warming was the "most likely" driver of the record rainfall, because the atmosphere in a 1.2 degree warmer world can now hold 8.4% more moisture, which is making extreme rain events more likely. intense. Changes in circulation patterns driven by global warming are also increasing rainfall intensity, the analysis noted.

Global warming was the only remaining reason they could identify to explain the large amount of rain.

The floods killed four people in the United Arab Emirates and at least 19 others in Oman, including 10 children who were on a school bus that was flooded. The extreme weather caused flooding in parts of the United Arab Emirates, which could be seen in satellite images from space.

The floods also caused widespread disruption across Dubai. More than 1,000 flights in and out of Dubai airport - the world's second busiest - were canceled and days of delays followed. People were forced to abandon their vehicles on flooded roads. Three Filipina women working in Dubai died in their car, trapped by water that burst onto the road.

The city's luxury malls leaked as rainwater seeped through ceilings and elevators stopped working in skyscrapers, forcing residents to climb dozens of floors. Unable to return home, some drivers slept in their cars due to blocked roads.

The Arabian Peninsula, home to the United Arab Emirates and Oman, occasionally experiences periods of heavy rain in April and May from what are known as mesoscale convective systems – several storms acting together as a single weather system.

Friederike Otto, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science at the Grantham Institute in London, said studies show that these storms are increasing in frequency.

El Niño, a natural swing in ocean temperatures that affects global weather, was also a driving factor in April's rain event, Otto said. However, the focus should be on slowing climate change, she added.

"While we can't stop El Niño, we can stop climate change," Otto said. "The solution is to stop burning fossil fuels, to stop deforestation," she said. Deforestation is responsible for at least 12% of global carbon pollution.


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