Knowledge Nugget | Extreme Weather Events: Trends, triggers and consequences

Gear up for UPSC Prelims 2026—Practice smarter, revise faster, and succeed with our Special Quiz Magazine. Click Here

Key Takeaways:

1. The study, led by researchers at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany, analysed the impact of climate change in a medium-high emission scenario on nearly 34,000 vertebrate species.

2. The most widespread impact will be from extreme heatwaves, the study found. By 2050, 74% of animal habitats on land will be exposed to heatwaves, 16% to wildfire, 8% to droughts, and 3% to floods if warming continues into the latter half of the century, the study said.

3. Biodiversity hotspots such as the Amazon, tropical Africa and Southeast Asia will see a sharp increase in frequency of these extreme events, the study noted.

4. Extreme climate events, the study underscored, can have devastating impacts on terrestrial biodiversity. While one heatwave or wildfire event can devastate animal populations, multiple events occurring one after another compound the impacts.

5. Further nuanced analysis showed that native species typically showed higher vulnerability to extreme events than non-native species, and also affected vegetation, altering habitat quality for several species.

Interestingly, extreme events can also have benefits for certain species, the study noted. It cited the example of the ornate chorus frog, which experiences lower predation pressure during droughts. (Image: Created by Google NotebookLM)

What are extreme weather events? 

1. According to the World Meteorological Organization, “An extreme weather event is rare at a particular place and time of year, and has unusual characteristics in terms of magnitude, location, timing, or extent.”

2. In simple terms, extreme weather events are occurrences of unusually severe weather or climate conditions that can cause devastating impacts on communities, agricultural and natural ecosystems.

3. As per the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2022), examples of extreme weather and climate events include, but are not limited to, heatwaves, cold waves, floods, extreme precipitation, droughts, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones. 

How does climate change impact extreme weather events?

1. The average global temperature on Earth has increased by at least 1.1 degree Celsius since 1850, primarily due to human activities that have released unprecedented levels of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

2. The spike in the temperatures has resulted in more frequent and more intense extreme weather events across the world. These events include heat waves, droughts, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires.

3. Notably, it’s quite difficult to attribute any particular extreme weather event to climate change. This is because there are multiple factors, like patterns of natural climate variability, such as El Niño and La Niña, that contribute to such events, according to Climate Change: Evidence and Causes, a jointly produced publication of The US National Academy of Sciences and The Royal Society. “However, studies can show whether the warming climate made an event more severe or more likely to happen,” it added.

4. For instance, a study published after a 2019 heat wave that killed 2,500 people in Western Europe found that climate change made the heat five times more likely than in a world that hadn’t become so warm.

5. Moreover, heat waves are expected to get worse in the following years. Climate models show that heat waves might become about 12 times more frequent by 2040s due to climate change.

6. Similarly, rising temperatures have worsened droughts. Extreme heat also creates conditions more prone to wildfire and a longer wildfire season by evaporating more and more moisture from land.

7. Higher temperatures cause evaporation of water not only from land but also oceans and other water bodies, meaning a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture.

8. Experts suggest for every 1 degree Celsius rise in average temperature, the atmosphere can hold about 7% more moisture. This makes storms more dangerous as it leads to an increase in precipitation intensity, duration and/or frequency, which ultimately can cause severe flooding.

9. There is a growing body of evidence that soaring temperatures are also making hurricanes stronger and more frequent. A 2023 study suggested that major hurricane landfalls in the eastern Pacific could become up to 30% more frequent in case global temperatures soar by at least 2 degree Celsius. The rising surface temperatures of the oceans are the main reason behind such hurricanes.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: Climate Risk Index 2026 report

1. In the COP30 conference last year, Germanwatch, a Bonn-based non-governmental organisation, released the Climate Risk Index (CRI) report. India has been ranked 9th in the list of countries worst affected by climate-related disasters in the last 30 years, showing an improvement of one rank over the previous report published in 2023.

2. Published since 2006, the CRI is one of the longest-running annual climate impact-related indices. The index measures the consequences of climate-related extreme weather events’ effect on countries. It ranks countries by their economic and human impacts (fatalities, as well as total affected), with the most affected country ranked highest. 

3. According to the report, all countries are affected by climate-related disasters, but those in the Global South are particularly impacted.

4. “The country (India) has faced various extreme weather events including floods, heat waves, cyclones and drought. Floods and landslides resulting from heavy monsoons have displaced millions and have damaged agriculture, and cyclones have devastated coastal areas underscoring India’s diverse climate risks,” the report states. 

5. Human-induced climate change is making extreme weather events happen more often and become more severe. In the beginning of 2024, El Nino influenced many extreme events. However, scientists found that climate change made them even worse. In 2024, human-caused climate change added 41 days of dangerous heat, impacting particularly vulnerable populations and driving other extreme weather events, such as intensified hurricanes and wildfires.

Post Read Question

Climate Risk Index is released by:

(a) United Nations Environment Programme

(b) World Meteorological Organization

(c) Germanwatch

(d) World Economic Forum

(Sources: Extreme events could impact 36% of land animal habitats by 2085, says new study, Warming up to climate change: How does climate change impact extreme weather events?)

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.

🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for March 2026. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨