Geert Jan van Oldenborgh obituary

Dutch physicist who helped to identify the links between human-induced climate change and extreme weather disastersGeert Jan van Oldenborgh, who has died aged 59 of multiple myeloma, was co-founder and member of a team of scientists who identified — at speed and while politically a hot topic — the links between human-induced climate change and forest fires, heatwaves, drought, flood and other specific meteorological catastrophes.This is trickier than it sounds. Extreme events have always happened, and for decades most climate scientists were not willing to say that this or that flood or heatwave was directly powered by ever-higher greenhouse gas emissions driven by profligate fossil fuel use. If they did, it was usually long after the event.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Climate science Netherlands Europe Physics Climate crisis Fossil fuels Canada Source Type: news