Peer-Reviewed Study Finds No Flooding-Warming Link

Published January 23, 2014

There is no evidence that global warming is causing an increase in flooding events, a newly published peer-reviewed study concludes. The study’s findings are a devastating blow to global warming alarmists claiming global warming is causing more frequent and severe floods.

A team of 17 scientists analyzed precipitation and flood data on six continents during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The scientists noted financial losses from floods have increased during recent years, primarily from more homes and businesses being built in flood-prone areas. The scientists also found changes in infrastructure and land use are exacerbating potential flooding events. Nevertheless, the scientists reported, “It has not been possible to attribute rain-generated peak streamflow trends to anthropogenic climate change over the past several decades.”

Importantly, real-world evidence does not support climate models predicting more flooding, the scientists noted.

“Projected increases in the frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall, based on climate models, should contribute to increases in precipitation-generated local flooding (e.g. flash flooding and urban flooding). … [W]e have only low confidence in numerical projections of changes in flood magnitude or frequency resulting from climate change,” the scientists reported.

“No gauge-based evidence had been found for a climate-driven, globally widespread change in the magnitude/frequency of floods during the last decades,” the scientists added.