A catastrophic landslide in Kerala, India, in late July took the lives of more than 250 people. The deluge of rain that triggered the disaster was made worse by our warming world.
What's happening?
A monsoonal downpour in a mountainous region of southern India killed hundreds this summer. Three weeks after the flooding, made worse by already saturated ground, more than 100 people were still missing. The nearly six inches of rain that came down was the third-heaviest one-day rainfall event in history for Kerala, India.
An overheating planet is making events like this more common. A recent study done by World Weather Attribution (WWA), a group of climate scientists that represents several institutions, including Imperial College London and The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, found that flooding like this should occur about once every 50 years in today's climate. The study also concluded that in the last 45 years, heavy one-day rainfall events have become 17% more intense.
A recent study by Bill Haneberg, a geological and geohazards consultant, determined that land-use changes are also a factor raising the risk of landslides. His study focused on a devastating flood event that occurred during the summer of 2022 along the North Fork Kentucky River, which killed 45 people. The land impacted was less able to absorb rainfall because of "mountaintop removal coal mining."
"It's a matter of politics that there are always people who think it'll be in their best interest not to delineate or identify these hazardous areas," Haneberg said, per the New York Times. "It's not like we don't understand the problem or have the technology. We just don't do it."
The WWA study noted that a reduction in forest cover and quarrying for building materials may have contributed to the Kerala landslides.
Why are landslides in India important?
The WWA study asserts that the potential number of landslides is likely to increase because of "climate change-driven" rainfall. The study says climate models suggest a 10% increase in rainfall intensity because of a warming planet. Storms in the UK last fall and winter were nearly 20% more intense, or about ten times more likely, because of changes in our climate, according to WWA.
Worldwide, the death toll from landslides is in the thousands. Landslides this summer in Ethiopia killed at least 229 people.
What's being done about more intense rainfall?
The WWA study recommends adaptation steps like "the reinforcement of susceptible slopes, landslide early warning systems, and construction of retaining structures to protect vulnerable localities."
It's crucial that we cool our overheated planet. Two ways to help are to make your voice heard by voting in favor of pro-climate candidates and spreading the word about climate issues to family and friends.
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