Global warming

FLOODS, HEAT WAVES AND STORMS: Here's What The Future Of The Planet Looks Like

Dina Spector | Nov. 22, 2011, 8:24 AM | 5,341 | 12

Business Insider,

November, 22, 2011

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the first major update to its 2007 assessment on the link between climate change and extreme weather events last week at a conference in Kampala, Uganda.

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The special report, compiled by 220 scientists in 62 countries, illustrates a frighteningly bleak future. In short, we should brace ourselves for an increase in dangerous extreme weather events, including heat waves, droughts, heavy rains, and hurricanes.

Developing countries will suffer the greatest economic and human losses from from weather- and climate-related disasters due both to their natural geographic location and reduced ability to cope with the consequences of global warming. 

Because extreme events are rare, and scientists have limited data to base long-terms changes on, the report uses a list of common terms to quantify the probability of various outcomes:

• Virtually certain (99-100% probability)

• Very Likely (90-100% probability)

• Likely (66-100% probability)

• About as likely as not (33-66% probability)

• Unlikely (0-33% probability)

• Extremely unlikely (0-10% probability)

• Exceptionally unlikely (0-1% probability

The following takes a look at key projected changes in global climate and weather extremes, along with scientists' degree of confidence that these changes will occur. 

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