About this Research Topic
The most nefarious consequences of global warming are disasters caused by intensifying climate extremes. When impactful floods, droughts, heatwaves and cyclones take place, there is a strong request to scientifically assess the role of global warming in their occurrence. Such assessments inform the public and the decision-makers, but also aim to further scientific understanding. However, some of these events are co-determined by non-climatic factors; e.g., droughts and floods also respond to changes in land-cover and water use. These factors can amplify, dampen or outweigh the effect of global warming.
For many climate extremes and disasters, existing attribution frameworks that only look at the role of global warming appear insufficient, and potentially inadequate. Attribution science still lacks the tools to assess: 1) the respective role of multiple drivers of climate-related extremes; 2) how socio-economic and human drivers co-determine the impact of such extremes. Developing such tools will require multi-disciplinary collaboration, between climatologists and, e.g., with hydrologists and adaptation experts.
We will solicit contributions that aim to fill the research gaps in attribution, addressing climate events and disasters that have complex mechanisms of generation and multiple drivers. Key research questions could be:
* Disentangling the role of hydrological and climatic drivers in trends of drought or flood, or in the occurrence of specific events.
* Attributing the human/economic/ecosystem impacts of climate extremes to global warming, socio-economic developments and management choices, respectively.
For many climate extremes and disasters, existing attribution frameworks that only look at the role of global warming appear insufficient, and potentially inadequate. Attribution science still lacks the tools to assess: 1) the respective role of multiple drivers of climate-related extremes; 2) how socio-economic and human drivers co-determine the impact of such extremes. Developing such tools will require multi-disciplinary collaboration, between climatologists and, e.g., with hydrologists and adaptation experts.
We will solicit contributions that aim to fill the research gaps in attribution, addressing climate events and disasters that have complex mechanisms of generation and multiple drivers. Key research questions could be:
* Disentangling the role of hydrological and climatic drivers in trends of drought or flood, or in the occurrence of specific events.
* Attributing the human/economic/ecosystem impacts of climate extremes to global warming, socio-economic developments and management choices, respectively.
Keywords: Attribution, Socio-economic impacts, Extreme events, Loss & Damage
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
