Around the globe, extreme events such as floods, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, and heat waves increasingly result in forced migration and loss of life, property, and security. Hot days are becoming hotter and more frequent, and droughts and heavy storms are occurring with greater intensity and loss. Rising sea levels, the result of melting ice sheets and warming ocean temperatures, threaten homes and critical infrastructure.
Center for Climate and Life scientists are investigating how the frequency and intensity of these events will change with global warming, and how fast and how far sea levels will rise. In this video, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory researchers Robin Bell, Radley Horton, and Adam Sobel explain their research and how it can help improve adaptation practices and make our homes, livelihoods, and the systems we rely on more resilient to extreme weather and sea level rise.
Visit climateandlife.columbia.edu to learn more about the Center’s mission to understand how climate change impacts life’s essential resources — food, water, and shelter — and to develop sustainable energy resources.