The report oil companies are worried about: Climate attribution science
Summary
A recent report from the U.S. National Academies of Science says that climate attribution science, which studies how much climate change influences extreme weather events, has improved a lot over the past decade. The report explains how this science can help update important safety rules but also notes some limits and warns that some fossil fuel interests oppose this work because it could lead to legal responsibility for damages.Key Facts
- Climate attribution science analyzes how human-caused greenhouse gas emissions affect the chance and strength of extreme weather events like heat waves and heavy rain.
- The science compares weather events under current conditions with how often they would occur without human influence, using computer climate models.
- The field has become more reliable and mainstream in the last ten years.
- Understanding climate’s role in extreme weather helps update building codes, disaster planning, and infrastructure design.
- The National Academies of Science produced this report to explain the current state of climate attribution science to policymakers.
- Some weather events still challenge attribution methods and need more research.
- The fossil fuel industry opposes this science because it might increase their legal liability for climate damages.
- Some lawmakers are threatening to cut funding for the National Academies because of this dispute.
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