NZ climate-related disasters hit record high in 2023

19 Oct 23 - New Zealand authorities have declared a record 17 weather-related states of emergency so far this year, with insurance payments for climate-related disasters already topping $3.5 billion.

Tropical cyclones now ‘13% less frequent’ due to climate change

29 Jun 22 - Tropical cyclones are complex phenomena, which only form under specific atmospheric and oceanic conditions. Research suggests that, as the climate warms, changing conditions are making tropical cyclones less frequent. However, a lack of long-term cyclone data makes this trend difficult to quantify.

Climate change is happening faster than expected, study shows

1 Jun 22 - Climate change is accelerating so quickly that the southern hemisphere is already experiencing intense winter storms originally predicted for 2080, says an Israeli research team.

Weather events shown to be climate change related in record time

14 Jul 21 - Scientists linked June's North American heat wave to climate change in nine days. Their work could revolutionize how we talk about climate, according to Time Magazine.

Cyclones could last longer in a warmer world

16 Nov 20 - Tropical cyclones weaken after they reach land. But it emerges that for the North Atlantic basin, storms are weakening more slowly as regional sea surface temperatures increase.

TEN YEARS AGO...

13 Aug 20 - Ten years ago, climate minister Nick Smith was being feted in Sydney because New Zealand actually had an emissions trading scheme in place.

Weather stations show there’s more heat and rain

9 Jul 20 - A major global update based on data from more than 36,000 weather stations around the world confirms that, as the planet continues to warm, extreme weather events such as heatwaves and heavy rainfall are now more frequent.

Stand by for big blows in the Atlantic

1 May 20 - New forecasts show that this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, which will take place between June and November, is shaping up to be among the worst.

This year likely to be hottest since records began

29 Apr 20 - This year is on course to be the world’s hottest since measurements began, according to meteorologists.

Floods will be catastrophic by 2030, says study

24 Apr 20 - New research finds 147 million will be hit by floods by the end of the decade – ‘the numbers will be catastrophic’.

More frequent violent weather could bring bloodshed

17 Apr 20 - Violent weather – seasonal storms, floods, fires and droughts – is growing more extreme, more often. And bloodshed might follow more often, too.

Support grows for cloud seeding

5 Mar 20 - New research supports cloud seeding efforts to bolster water supplies in drying regions, but some scientists question its effectiveness in addressing climate change.

HOT TIMES: This year could be our warmest ever recorded

5 Dec 19 - A hot December could see 2019 become New Zealand’s warmest year on record.

Crisis might have triggered faster wind speeds

20 Nov 19 - The global climate crisis could lead to more renewable electricity being generated by spurring faster wind speeds for the growing number of windfarms.

Jet stream battle raging above our heads

18 Nov 19 - When prolonged periods of severe weather strike, two things often get the blame these days: climate change and the jet stream.

Bigger hurricanes are now more damaging

14 Nov 19 - The biggest and most damaging hurricanes are now three times more frequent than they were 100 years ago, say researchers.

TEN YEARS AGO ...

4 Nov 19 - Ten years ago, British farmers were in revolt over a suggestion by economist Professor Lord Nicholas Stern that people should turn vegetarian to save the climate.

Scientists see stark future for oceans

26 Sep 19 - Extreme sea level events that used to occur once a century will strike every year on many coasts by 2050, according to a landmark report.

Climate models predict bigger heat rise ahead

20 Sep 19 - Scientists using new climate models say a bigger heat rise than expected is possible by the end of the century.

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