Deadly Nigerian floods were caused by climate change-fueled rains, a study finds

According to experts, climate change caused by human activity has increased the likelihood of heavy rains, which are the cause of floods that killed more than 600 people in Nigeria this year, by nearly 80 times.

More than 1.4 million people were forced to from their homes as a result of the floods, which mostly hit Nigeria but also Niger, Chad, and other neighboring nations. The region was already at risk of food insecurity.

In a research, scientists from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) consortium claimed that the region’s recent floods, which were among the worst ever recorded, were caused by human activity that is accelerating climate change.

They compared weather occurrences to long-term climate data, which reveals that since 1800, as carbon emissions have increased, the earth has warmed by around 1.2 degrees Celsius.

They discovered that “human-induced climate change” made it 80 times more probable that there would have been significant rainfall that triggered the floods.

Additionally, they noted that “the rainy season this year was 20% wetter than it would have been without the impact of climate change.”

The study concluded that “the effect of climate change implies the extended rain that caused the floods is no longer an unusual event.”

Without human activity, the likelihood of seeing above-average rain during the rainy season would have been exceedingly low—about 1 in 10 times a year.

Between June and October of this year, floods killed more than 600 people in Nigeria alone, over 200 in Niger, and 22 in Chad.

The research is released as the COP27 climate meetings get underway in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where poor polluters are being forced to pay for disasters due to climate change.

Africa is home to some of the nations with the lowest carbon emissions, but it also has the most extreme weather, with the Horn of Africa presently suffering from a catastrophic drought.

“This is a genuine issue that exists today, and the poorest nations are disproportionately suffering. Thus, it is evident that solutions are required, “Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre Maarten van Aalst stated during a WWA press conference.

Rapid reaction reports are released by the WWA in the wake of extreme climatic occurrences.

Although their research have received widespread support from scientists, they have not undergone peer review, a lengthy procedure.