Key facts
- The US National Academies of Science released a report on climate attribution science.
- The report indicates that the ability to link weather damages to climate change has improved.
- It acknowledges limitations in historical data and small-scale weather phenomena.
- The fossil fuel industry sees this scientific progress as a potential liability issue.
- Political backlash has led to threats against the National Academies' funding.
A report released by the US National Academies of Science on Thursday indicates that the field of climate attribution science is maturing, leading to increased confidence in linking extreme weather events to climate change. The report highlights advancements in understanding, modeling, and statistical techniques that have strengthened the foundation for assessing the influence of climate change on events like heat waves and excessive precipitation.
However, the report also identifies significant limitations, particularly the lack of consistent historical weather monitoring data in certain regions and the difficulty in evaluating small-scale weather phenomena with current climate models. These limitations result in lower confidence in attributing events such as wildfires and severe storms compared to temperature and rainfall extremes.