Extreme floods once rare in coastal communities are becoming far more common as human-caused climate change pushes sea levels higher, according to new research published on 10 June.
Experts say the findings are crucial for making plans about floods and coastal infrastructure as the planet warms.
These big coastal floods happen when high tides and storm surges combine with seas that are already rising. Those pile on top of natural climate patterns and other human influence.
Climate change has strengthened storms like Hurricane Ian, which caused significant flooding in 2022, scientists say. Flooding threatens hundreds of millions of people each year in low-lying coastal areas across the globe. It also causes billions of euros in damage and can be deadly.
Floods that historically had a one per cent chance of striking a coastline in a year are now about 12 times more likely, on average, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change on Wednesday. Those events have become about four times more likely due to human-driven climate change, the research shows.
