Climate disasters are part of the natural cycle of the weather. Hurricanes, droughts, wildfires, and floods have always been a part of our lives. However, we are currently witnessing such events on a larger scale. Are these natural disasters simply due to bad weather? Or are they due to climate change?

The terms "climate" and "weather" are not synonymous. Weather is how the atmosphere acts over short periods, such as days or weeks, whereas climate is how the atmosphere behaves over long periods, such as decades or centuries.

Over the last decade, the number of extreme weather events like heat waves, wildfires, floods, droughts, etc., has increased exponentially. Scientists believe that there is a stronger link between the planet's warming and its changing weather patterns.

The earth's average surface temperature is rising, owing primarily to humans burning fossil fuels. As a result, greenhouse gases (GHGs) are released into the atmosphere, absorbing heat radiation and preventing it from escaping into space, causing the earth to gradually become hotter over time.

A warmer atmosphere contains more water vapour. As a greenhouse gas, water vapour further accelerates the warming process. Consequently, the high temperatures melt the ice caps in the polar regions, thus reducing the snow cover and increasing the sea level. The exposed land and ocean due to the snowmelt absorbs more heat, causing more warming. So, as you can see, human activities are continuously warming our planet, setting a domino effect.

Well, the short answer is that extreme weather events are influenced by climate change, but it's not as straightforward as one thing causing the other. Any weather event could occur by chance; it could just result from natural weather variations. So it's better to ask about the influence of climate change on an extreme weather event.

Climate scientists have been using "Attribution Science" to understand the relationship between climate change and extreme weather events. Using computer models and mathematical calculations, scientists analyze climate data to quantify or measure the effects of climate change on weather.

Think of it like a doctor studying a patient who has been a lifelong smoker, suffering from lung cancer. The doctor cannot say for sure that smoking caused lung cancer, but he can say that the patient's smoking increased his odds of developing lung cancer significantly.

With the help of attribution science and accurate data and calculations, answers to similar questions on the effects of climate change can be derived. Computer models are also used to simulate how the earth's climate will change over time. Using these models, scientists have predicted various outcomes to connect extreme weather to human influence.

So the bottom line is that as long as climate change continues, weather events will keep getting extreme, with millions losing their lives to rising sea levels, scorching heatwaves, and intense hurricanes. Poorer countries will suffer the most, unable to adapt to the changing climate, affecting their economies and food supplies.

Adapting to the new normal of harsher weather and reducing the effects of climate change is a must. To better handle future disasters, countries will need to incorporate extreme weather response strategies and prioritize scientific studies on climate change.