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COUNTDOWN

CO2 Budget Depletion

17 Oct 2022 | Nigeria

Devastating floods in Nigeria claim over 600 lives

The BBC reports today that “Recent flooding in Nigeria has become an “overwhelming” disaster, and many states were not properly prepared for them despite warnings.”

Intense floods like those inundating Nigeria in recent weeks are expected to become more frequent as the globe continues to warm under a thickening blanket of greenhouse gases.

The Arctic is warming four times faster than the globe, which is melting ice and snow at a rate never-before seen. This loss of white, reflective surfaces means more of the sun’s energy is absorbed, which exacerbates global warming, and in turn increases evaporation from warmer oceans and land into a warmer atmosphere.

That extra moisture is fuelling all storms, including those in Nigeria, making devastating floods more likely.

Flooding in 27 of Nigeria’s 36 states has claimed over 600 lives in “the worst flooding the West African nation has seen in a decade. Some 1.3 million people have been displaced, and more than 200,000 homes have been destroyed.”

This “worse than usual” seasonal flooding has resulted in evacuations, damaged farmland and worries about increased spread of disease and disruption to food supplies.

This disaster comes amidst record inflation levels and an inability for many people to relocate from high risk areas.

For more information on this story visit the BBC.

Explore the Global Risks from Arctic change HERE.

Image – TUBS, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

LATEST NEWS & ALERTS

ARCTIC RISK INDICATORS

The following gauges show up-to-date data regarding key indicators in the Arctic. These indicators clearly point to the crisis at hand.

Greenland rate of ice loss
13 million l/s
on average
13 million tonnes/s
on average
Arctic Sea Ice Extent
1,398,749 km²
below 1981-2010 average on 03-Dec-2023
540,057 mi²
below 1981-2010 average on 03-Dec-2023
Arctic Amplification
4 times
faster than global average
Arctic 66N+ Wildfire emissions
25,092.70 megatonnes CO₂e
CO₂e emissions in 2023 so far
Arctic Air Quality (PM2.5)
1.09 microgram per cubic meter
on 03-Dec-2023
Global mean Sea Level
3.4mm/year
since 1993