Climate Experience:

Extreme rainfalls and flooding; more that 45mm in 24 hours resulting in flash flooding.

Explanation:

  • Extreme daily rainfall events are increasing.[1]
  • The amount of water falling in hourly rainstorms is increasing at a rate 2 to 3 times higher than expected.[2][3]

Ramifications:

  • Climate change may result in more severe flooding.[4]
  • Severe storms are estimated to cost Victoria $284 million per year,[5]this figure will increase with current trends.

What can be done?

  • Email your local MP and tell them that action on climate is important to you and explain the impacts being felt in your area. One email might not feel like much but most politicians consider it to be representative of 100 citizens.
  • Help support the Act on Climate collective by donatingwe are leading the charge for climate action. Your donation helps in advancing policies that prevent climate change from getting worse, we aim to empower communities and build a strong pro-climate-action constituency that governments can’t ignore, and as an added bonus it’s tax-deductable.
  • Get involved with Act on Climate. We meet every Monday at 6pm (upstairs at 312 Smith St, Collingwood) and welcome all newcomers to join in the fight for climate justice. If you are unable to attend, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with the latest campaign.

* We aim to keep our material as accurate and as relevant as possible. Working with climate science, a field that is being constantly updated, keeps us on our toes. Information on this site was gathered on June 1 2019; if you notice information that needs updating please let us know. For the full reference list please see the following.

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[1]Selma B Guerreiro et al., “Detection of Continental-Scale Intensification of Hourly Rainfall Extremes,” Nature Climate Change8, no. 9 (2018).803.

[2]Ibid.

[3]“Australia facing extremely intense rain storms,” Science Daily, published July 30, 2018, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180730120245.htm

[4]“Understanding the causes and impacts of flooding,” CSIRO, accessed April 29, 2019, https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/Environment/Extreme-Events/Floods/Causes-and-impacts

[5]SES, “Severe Weather in Victoria: Impacts and Response,” (Melbourne2016).2.