A November 4th Bloomberg article, titled “Extreme Rainfall Is Becoming More Frequent and Deadly,” covering the recent floods in Valencia suggests that climate change is producing greater numbers extreme rainfall events that are also more deadly now than before. This is false. Data proves that Bloomberg’s claims fail the truth test since floods aren’t becoming more frequent or severe.
First, it’s important to distinguish between weather and climate. While extreme weather events, like heavy rainfall, are a natural part of weather patterns, they are often wrongly attributed to climate change without actual evidence. As Climate Realism has repeatedly pointed out, many claims that link extreme weather events to climate change data and evidence to show causation. For example, in the case of recent European floods, experts admit that it’s difficult to conclusively link individual events to long-term climate trends without comprehensive studies, yet headlines like Bloomberg’s frequently jump to conclusions about climate change being the cause.
Furthermore, extreme weather events like floods have occurred throughout history, well before the industrial era and the recent rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions. Spain, in particular, has experienced severe floods throughout the centuries due to its unique geographic and meteorological conditions, known as “gota fría” weather pattern, also known as a “cold drop.” Spain’s geographical location makes it susceptible to these well-known local Mediterranean storm patterns. The heavy rainfall followed by floods in Valencia, have tragically been all too common throughout the region’s history driven by well-established natural weather patterns. There is no data supporting the claim that they are a sign of climate change causing worsening weather.
Even reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledge that there is no clear trend in increasing floods, despite claims otherwise. See Figure 1 below:
The IPCC findings indicate that, globally, the data does not support a significant increase in the frequency or intensity of rainfall events. Therefore, media outlets attributing every extreme weather event to climate change are engaging in what could be termed as alarmism, rather than reporting based on sound scientific data.
In addition, much of the increased damage from heavy rains resulting in floods in recent years can be attributed to urban expansion and poor land-use planning, particularly in flood-prone areas. As cities like Valencia grow, impermeable surfaces expand, leading to more runoff and higher flood risks when heavy rains occur. The costs of flood damage are often more reflective of increased development and human activity in vulnerable areas rather than a direct consequence of climate-driven increases in rainfall.
In summary, while extreme weather events like the Valencia floods are tragic and warrant strong responses in terms of preparedness and resilience, there is no solid evidence tying this specific event—or the purported increase in such events—to global climate change.
Instead of leaping to conclusions, Bloomberg and other media outlets should focus on reporting about realistic strategies like improved infrastructure, better flood management, and adaptation to natural weather variability—solutions that address flooding problems without resorting to unfounded climate scare tactics.
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These reports of extreme this or that are tiresome. The writers are either dumb as stumps or deliberately pushing the boss’s fantasies. Whac-A-Mole comes to mind.
“The writers are either dumb as stumps or deliberately pushing the boss’s fantasies.”
While these are not mutually exclusive, I think it is more of the latter. They could not care less about honest reporting. Their job is to deliver the Narrative. Pure business.
A study done not too long ago found that journalism students did not want to go into objective journalism but rather advocacy journalism.
In my view, advocacy journalism is promoting one’s opinions as factual and news.
lets hope the new administration will make journalists accountable with punishment for lies
No, President Trump should force NOAA, NASA, EPA & etc. to forcefully rebut all of the climate falsehoods published in major media outlets and by the supposed scientific societies and Leftist “scientific” journals as they pop up. Table 12.12 on P. 90 of Chapter 12 of the scientific basis WGI in the August 2021 UN IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) should be plastered all over the websites and first pages of all Executive Agencies’ reports and external communications. Climate liars must be exposed at every opportunity.
I presume Spain had the same issues as North Carolina, a lack of flood control structures and bad land use zoning. North Carolina made the choice to not build flood control dams, and then allowed building on known flood areas. There was a history of floods in both areas.
A lot of UK cities are built on the banks of rivers The oldest parts on the higher ground. Later developments on the surrounding flood plains. This photo of the 2007 floods at Tewkesbury shows this very well. The town was cut off and the Abbey flooded for the first time in 250 years, but it was unprecedented.
The attraction of building in these locations was the fertile soil surrounding them.
The town was cut off and the Abbey flooded for the first time in 250 years, but it was unprecedented.
Did you mean to say NOT unprecendeted?
Not unprecedented. tewkesburyhistory.org refers to major flooding in Tewkesbury in 1484, 1673, 1763, 1770 (“This year produced the greatest flood ever known at Tewkesbury …”), 1821, 1841, 1843, 1845, 1847 — and that was just the autumn/winter ones. Add in 5 Spring ones, including the Great Flood of 1947 and a further 7 summer ones, including another ‘Great Flood” in June 1924 ….
Tewkesbury suffers from being located at the confluence of the Severn and the Warwickshire Avon which makes it susceptible to high flows from two directions. The statistics ought to be enough to scotch the idea that “climate change” has anything to do with flooding. In Tewkesbury or indeed anywhere else!
Spain had plenty of flood control dams until the ‘environmentalists’ stuck their noses in:
Rather like wildlands management in both California and Australia. Historically, the natives managed the wildlands with fire, and Anglos suppressed fire as policy. Whether the Sierra Club’s “let it alone” policy, or Australia’s “carbon sink” notion, the areas had been managed by Native Americans or Aborigines since the end of the last Ice Age.
I never have quite understood their argument for concentrating on CO2 emissions as a remedy for floods, storms, etc. By their own claim, CO2 stays in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, if we stopped all emissions tomorrow it would have no effect on the weather for a very long time. We would still need to flood control, fire suppression, etc. Further if the US stops emissions, that does not stop emissions in Asia or Africa, so even then there will still be bad weather.
Concentrating on CO2 allows to shift the blame to us, humans, CO2 emitters, to justify carbon tax and investments in climate industrial complex.
Scare tactics do not have to rational. They work well with population majority not used to critical thinking.
It is all part of the One World Order movement and the desire to implement the goals of The Population Bomb, reducing the world’s population to a “sustainable” less than 2 billion.
Story Tip
Germany’s government collapses hours after US election
The Trump earthquake has started!
They know. Caring about others and avoiding tragedies is not in their manifesto
Camel farts for sure-
Snow falls for the first time ever in desert in Saudi Arabia | Watch
I still have a pic of a snow camel in the Saudi Arabia from a few years ago.. maybe 2017 ??
And another one that seems to be from Saudi Arabia in 2017.
Something that “has never happened” happens again… and again… and again. What a surprise. Must a sign of climate change.
The point of these claims is not to spread any truth, not even “their” truth! It is to increasingly scare and panic the readily brainwashed portion of the populace so that they will continue to support their globalist corporate masters! Once the demonization of the skeptics and “deniers” is adequate they can then proceed to the next phase of the GWOT, which is drone warfare against dissent!
After all, questioning the corporate media narrative is a type of domestic terrorism, deserving of total repudiation like a hunter/killer from the Terminator universe! We have only FOUR years to turn this boat around and pull back from the cataracts! Without learning how to identify and isolate the socio- and psychopaths amongst us, we WILL fall prey to their evil, anti-human games!
Too much drama and too many exclamation marks…
While open questioning the Narrative is not terrorism and will never be, it is already incompatible with working for many public companies, something on a level of condoning sexism and sexual harassment.
One of the main targets of non-stop propaganda is indoctrination of children. Children lack critical thinking and inherently trust parents and authorities. If CCC/GW is all they hear from age 2, most of them they will accept these lies religiously. Since mid 80s, when the Narrative was launched, at least two generations (all under 40) have been indoctrinated with mothers milk to the bone marrow.
Climate attribution claims are just a shelter for poor governance and institutional corruption. Politicians and their media lapdogs always blame their failures on someone or something else, and climate hysteria is the perfect dodge.
MSM outlets like Bloomberg have absolutely no use for facts when they have an “official Narrative” to push.
Nice image from the IPCC report. Too bad there’s no legend for the colors and numbers so we can understand what they mean. Here you go. Zero evidence (“low confidence”) of increase in “river flood,” ever. Medium confidence in the distant future (where all wild guesses confidently reside) of “heavy precipitation and pluvial flood,” but only in Northern Europe, Northern Asia, and East Asia and only under the RCP8.5 scenario; the one that is so ridiculously fantastical that even the slightly less deluded climate zealots are disavowing it as a possibility.