Latest news with #BenClarke
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Deadly April rainfall in US South, Midwest was intensified by climate change, scientists say
Two churches, one Catholic and one Baptist are flooded by the Kentucky River (Image: AP) Human-caused climate change intensified deadly rainfall in Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and other states in early April and made those storms more likely to occur, according to an analysis released Thursday by the World Weather Attribution group of scientists. The series of storms unleashed tornadoes , strong winds and extreme rainfall in the central Mississippi Valley region from April 3-6 and caused at least 24 deaths. Homes, roads and vehicles were inundated and 15 deaths were likely caused by catastrophic floods. The WWA analysis found that climate change increased rainfall intensity in the storms by 9 per cent and made them 40 per cent more likely compared to probability of such events in the pre-industrial age climate. Some of the moisture that fuelled the storms came from the Gulf of Mexico , where water temperatures were abnormally warm by 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial temperatures. That warming was made 14 times more likely due to climate change, according to the researchers from universities and meteorological agencies in the United States and Europe. Rapid analyses from the WWA use peer-reviewed methods to study an extreme weather event and distill it down to the factors that caused it. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo This approach lets scientists analyse which contributing factors had the biggest influence and how the event could have played out in a world without climate change. The analysis found a rainfall event of April's intensity could occur in the central Mississippi Valley region about once every 100 years. Even heavier downpours are expected to hit the region in the future unless the world rapidly slashes emissions of polluting gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that causes temperatures to rise, the study said. "That one in 100 years ... is likely to go down to once every few decades," said Ben Clarke, a researcher at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London and the study's lead author. "If we continue to burn fossil fuels, events like this will not only continue to occur, but they'll keep getting more dangerous." Heavier and more persistent rainfall is expected with climate change because the atmosphere holds more moisture as it warms. Warming ocean temperatures result in higher evaporation rates, which means more moisture is available to fuel storms. Forecast information and weather alerts from the National Weather Service communicated the risks of the April heavy rain days in advance, which the WWA says likely reduced the death toll. But workforce and budget cuts made by the Trump administration have left nearly half of NWS offices with 20 per cent vacancy rates or higher, raising concerns for public safety during future extreme weather events and the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season that officially begins June 1. "If we start cutting back on these offices or reducing the staff, the unfortunate result is going to be more death. We're going to have more people dying because the warnings are not going to get out, the warnings are not going to be as fine-tuned as they are today," said Randall Cerveny, a climate professor at Arizona State University who was not involved in the study.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Climate change made April flooding worse, study says
The historic rain and flooding in parts of Arkansas, Kentucky and other states caused by intense April thunderstorms was likelier and also more intense because of climate change. That's according to the World Weather Attribution project, a group of scientists who analyze major weather events for the effects of climate change. From April 3 to April 6, torrential rain pounded the Southeast, causing flooding that put more than 70 million people under flood alerts, killed at least 15, swept away cars and derailed a train. Researchers used climate models and historical data to analyze the storm system in eight states it tracked and found that it was about 9% more intense because of global warming and 40% likelier today than in a climate without global warming. 'We conclude that present warming of 1.3 degrees did amplify the extreme rainfall leading to flooding in this region,' said Ben Clarke, a researcher at Imperial College London, who helped author the report. 'We know that a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture.' The reference to 1.3 degrees is how much the world has warmed, in Celsius, since humanity began spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as a result of the Industrial Revolution. It's equivalent to about 2.3 degrees F. Clarke said the group's probability estimates are conservative. The researchers noted that a somewhat unusual meteorological setup contributed to the extreme rain. Shel Winkley, a meteorologist with the nonprofit news organization Climate Central who contributed to the report, said the low pressure weather system producing the storms hit a ridge of high pressure and then stalled, which sent thunderstorms parading one after another over the same stretches of the Southeast and the Midwest. 'That front was the road for these storms to travel on and also the trigger mechanism ... that allowed these thunderstorms to essentially pile up on already saturated soil,' Winkley said. 'This is a very interesting event where weather and climate change collided together.' Winkley said the National Weather Service issued the third-most severe weather warnings on record on April 2. 'By the end of that day, the National Weather Service had issued, across their different offices, 728 different severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings combined,' Winkley said, adding that from April 3 to April 6, many locations got 6 to 12 inches of rain, with extremes upward of 16 inches. After they analyzed the historic April rainfall, the researchers found that a storm system similar in scope and scale could be expected once every 100 years in today's warmer climate. Kentucky State Climatologist Jerald Brotzge, a professor at Western Kentucky University, who wasn't involved in the research, said he's often skeptical of such studies, which attribute large flooding events to climate change but don't account for unique meteorological setups. But this research appeared solid, he said. 'It looks like they've done a pretty good job with it,' Brotzge said. 'In this case, it was a stalled boundary, and the thunderstorms kept forming over the same area. They recognize that.' Brotzge said his state, Kentucky, has warmed by about a degree Celsius (1.8 degrees F) over the past 130 years of recorded weather. The state has experienced heavier rainfall over time. 'Our annual rainfall has increased about 10%,' Brotzge said. 'Our top 10 wettest years — five of those have occurred since 2011. 2011 remains our wettest year, and 2018 remains our second-wettest year. And this year, our January through April is our wettest start to the year.' World Weather Attribution is a consortium of scientists who publish quickly produced analyses of climate change's role in extreme events. Its methods are peer-reviewed, but specific analyses aren't immediately reviewed. The group's previous work on heat, wildfire and hurricane disasters has held up to outside academic scrutiny. This article was originally published on
NBC News
08-05-2025
- Climate
- NBC News
Climate change made April flooding worse, study says
The historic rain and flooding in parts of Arkansas, Kentucky and other states caused by intense April thunderstorms was likelier and also more intense because of climate change. That's according to the World Weather Attribution project, a group of scientists who analyze major weather events for the effects of climate change. From April 3 to April 6, torrential rain pounded the Southeast, causing flooding that put more than 70 million people under flood alerts, killed at least 15, swept away cars and derailed a train. Researchers used climate models and historical data to analyze the storm system in eight states it tracked and found that it was about 9% more intense because of global warming and 40% likelier today than in a climate without global warming. 'We conclude that present warming of 1.3 degrees did amplify the extreme rainfall leading to flooding in this region,' said Ben Clarke, a researcher at Imperial College London, who helped author the report. 'We know that a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture.' The reference to 1.3 degrees is how much the world has warmed, in Celsius, since humanity began spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as a result of the Industrial Revolution. It's equivalent to about 2.3 degrees F. Clarke said the group's probability estimates are conservative. The researchers noted that a somewhat unusual meteorological setup contributed to the extreme rain. Shel Winkley, a meteorologist with the nonprofit news organization Climate Central who contributed to the report, said the low pressure weather system producing the storms hit a ridge of high pressure and then stalled, which sent thunderstorms parading one after another over the same stretches of the Southeast and the Midwest. 'That front was the road for these storms to travel on and also the trigger mechanism ... that allowed these thunderstorms to essentially pile up on already saturated soil,' Winkley said. 'This is a very interesting event where weather and climate change collided together.' Winkley said the National Weather Service issued the third-most severe weather warnings on record on April 2. 'By the end of that day, the National Weather Service had issued, across their different offices, 728 different severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings combined,' Winkley said, adding that from April 3 to April 6, many locations got 6 to 12 inches of rain, with extremes upward of 16 inches. After they analyzed the historic April rainfall, the researchers found that a storm system similar in scope and scale could be expected once every 100 years in today's warmer climate. Kentucky State Climatologist Jerald Brotzge, a professor at Western Kentucky University, who wasn't involved in the research, said he's often skeptical of such studies, which attribute large flooding events to climate change but don't account for unique meteorological setups. But this research appeared solid, he said. 'It looks like they've done a pretty good job with it,' Brotzge said. 'In this case, it was a stalled boundary, and the thunderstorms kept forming over the same area. They recognize that.' Brotzge said his state, Kentucky, has warmed by about a degree Celsius (1.8 degrees F) over the past 130 years of recorded weather. The state has experienced heavier rainfall over time. 'Our annual rainfall has increased about 10%,' Brotzge said. 'Our top 10 wettest years — five of those have occurred since 2011. 2011 remains our wettest year, and 2018 remains our second-wettest year. And this year, our January through April is our wettest start to the year.' World Weather Attribution is a consortium of scientists who publish quickly produced analyses of climate change's role in extreme events. Its methods are peer-reviewed, but specific analyses aren't immediately reviewed. The group's previous work on heat, wildfire and hurricane disasters has held up to outside academic scrutiny.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Accolade Wines to cut brands following Vinarchy launch
Accolade Wines plans to get rid of a number of wine brands following the creation of a new wine company this week called Vinarchy. The Australian wine business intends to cut brands which make up around 4% of total revenues, Just Drinks understands. Vinarchy launched after Accolade's owner, Australian Wine Holdco, completed the purchase of a clutch of wine assets from Pernod Ricard on Wednesday (30 April). The new company combines Accolade's assets with the Australian, New Zealand and Spanish wine operations formerly owned by Pernod, which were acquired by Accolade owner Australian Wine Holdco Limited earlier in April after a deal announced last year. While it is unclear how many brands are expected to be axed under Vinarchy, local reports from the Australian Financial Review this week, have indicated up to 50 brands could be shed. Executive chairman of Vinarchy Ben Clarke was quoted by the publication as having said that the business plans to bring its total 150 brands down to 100. 'We can see a few waves getting it to about 100. Obviously, it's a global business, and we will do it by geography and by brand,' he said. The brands being reviewed are expected to sit within the new company's global markets, Just Drinks understands, but are small brands and SKUs that haven't been successful for the group. Vinarchy is still working through the process, which will take around 12-18 months to complete. Money received from offloading the brands will be used to invest in brands which the business believes has greater growth potential. According to Australian Financial Review Clarke said the sum would go towards well-known brands in Vinarchy's portfolio, like Campo Viejo, Jacob's Creek and Hardys. The publication also suggested domestic brands like Beaumont, &Then and Brooke James are affected, as well as Trackers Crossing in the US. A group of private label brands which are produced for retailers and supermarkets are also expected to go. Australian Wine Holdco, which describes itself as 'a consortium of international institutional investors', is made up of funds from private-equity firms Bain Capital, Sona Asset Management, Samuel Terry Asset Management, Intermediate Capital Group and Capital Four. The consortium took equity ownership of Accolade from existing shareholders early last year. "Accolade Wines to cut brands following Vinarchy launch" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
AU Financial Review
30-04-2025
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Accolade Wines axes dozens of brands after Pernod Ricard merger
The Bain Capital-led consortium that owns Accolade Wines says it will cull dozens of brands after merging it with Pernod Ricard's wine business. The enlarged company has been named Vinarchy, which executive chairman Ben Clarke said represented a new beginning for a group with $1.5 billion in revenue. Clarke was a former Kraft Foods executive and was appointed chairman of Accolade, the country's second-biggest winemaker after ASX-listed Treasury Wine Estates, last year.
