Café Scientifique - Cloudy with a chance of climate change: Understanding extreme weather and human influence

Droughts, heat waves, storms, flooding and wildfires will present an increasing challenge as the atmospheric conditions conducive to extreme events become more common and severe. To combat the impacts of such events, we need to understand the likelihood of future events and how extreme they may become. Climate change attribution studies seek to determine the likelihood that extreme events have been made worse by human induced climate change. We can use these studies, along with forecasting, to help preparation and disaster risk reduction. In this talk, Dr Joseph Gallear will explain how we determine the likelihood that extreme events were caused by climate change, and how we use this information to help improve resilience to climate change.

Café Scientifique is a place where anyone can come to explore the latest ideas in science and technology. Meetings take place in cafes, bars, restaurants and even theatres, but always outside a traditional academic context. Anyone is welcome to come and learn something new, ask questions, and join in the discussion.