RUSSIA. Deadliest heat wave ever. 55,000 dead. $15 billion in damage.

HORN of AFRICA. Drought caused widespread famine. 30,000 dead.

THAILAND. Heavy monsoon rains. 600 killed. $45 billion ($18% of GDP) in damage.

95 º F /35 º C - Ascension Islands 97 º F /36 º C - Solomon Islands 99 º F /37 º C - FInland 102 º F /38 º C - Belarus 108 º F /42 º C - Ukraine 108 º F /42 º C - Colombia 108 º F /42 º C - Zambria 114 º F /45 º C - Russia 116 º F /46 º C - Nigeria 116 º F /47 º C - Cyprus 116 º F /47 º C - Bolivia 117 º F /47 º C - Myanmar 118 º F /48 º C - Chad 122 º F /50 º C – Sudan 123 º F /50 º C - Qatar 124 º F /51 º C - Jordan 126 º F /52 º C – Saudi Arabia 126 º F /52 º C – Iraq 127 º F /53 º C – Kuwait 128 º F /54 º C - Pakistan 119 º F /48 º C - Niger Record heat in 2010 Countries that set new record highs in

Are all these records and extremes a coincidence?

CLIMATE CHANGE Connect the dots. Texas Horn of Africa Russia New Mexico Arizona Russia Europe 19 Countries Break Temperature Records Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Ivan Hurricane Irene Tennessee Pakistan Mississippi River

Extreme weather events are becoming increasingly frequent and severe all over the planet Other weather related events Storms Floods Droughts Geophysical year number of reported disasters per year Source: CRED (2011)

Estimated costs of natural disasters have risen from $ 25 billion in the 1980s to over $ 130 billion today

“ “ “ The evidence is in: global warming has caused severe floods, droughts, and storms. More violent and frequent storms, once merely a prediction of climate models, are now a matter of observation. ” - Scientific American

It’s time we start connecting THE DOTS

This is the world of climate change.

Climate change increases the likelihood of extreme weather events...

Just like smoking increases the likelihood of being diagnosed with lung cancer.

“ “ - Dr. Kevin Trenberth, National Center for Atmospheric Research “...all weather events are affected by climate change because the environment in which they occur is warmer and wetter than it used to be.”

As global temperatures rise due to global warming, the atmosphere can hold more moisture. Molecules in warmer air spread out farther, creating more space for water vapor to form. As global temperatures rise due to global warming, the atmosphere can hold more moisture. Molecules in warmer air spread out farther, creating more space for water vapor to form.

More water in the atmosphere means when it does rain, It really pours

We’re experiencing these impacts now. Climate change is no longer a problem of the future;

2010 floods in Pakistan: most expensive natural disaster in nation’s history. $9.5 billion in damage, 20 million people displaced. FLOODS Number of Hydrological Events Flood, Mass Movement with Relative Trend years 300% 200% 100% 0%

There has been a 20% increase in the most extreme rainfall events in the US over the past century. SEVERE STORMS Number of Meteorological Events Storms with Relative Trend 300% 200% 100% 0% years

2011: driest year on record in Texas. Half a billion trees were destroyed by wildfires. DROUGHTS Trends in Occurrence of Wild Fires Number of Recorded Major Wild Fire Disasters ( ) = 10 years

2010: the Aceh province of Indonesia alone lost 80% of its coral reefs. CORAL REEFS “The science is clear: Unless we change the way we live, the Earth’s coral reefs will be utterly destroyed within our children’s lifetimes.” J.E.N. Verone, Former Chief Scientist of the Australian Institute of Marine Science

Rising tides divided the South Pacific Carteret Islands in half, creating the first climate refugees. SEA LEVELS RISING Sea Level Over the Rise of the Last Century cm years

EXTREME COLD/SNOW Anomalies in Northern Hemisphere Snow Cover years : Mid-atlantic US had snowiest winter on record Million Square Kilometers

Discussion What changes are we experiencing in our community? How are they connected to climate change?

This sounds like our world is breaking

But we can fix it

We have to act NOW. We have to act TOGETHER. Photo credit: Milan Ilnyckyj

In 2011, network news channels ran only 14 climate change stories– down from 147 in Coverage around the world declined 42 % from Yet the number of average citizens who believe our planet is warming is on the rise

What can we DO?

It’s our job to make sure everyone is connecting the dots – even if our politicians and media won’t tell the story.

Jointo stop climate change. So send this information to your friends, family, and your favorite climate skeptics. And when impacts happen in your community…connect the dots.