Dicussion english 3 topic extreme weather

The cause of extreme weather in the world climate change .... Changes in extreme weather and climate events, such as heat waves and droughts, are the primary way that most people exper

THUONG MAI UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH

- -

DICUSSION ENGLISH 3 TOPIC: EXTREME WEATHER

Teacher:

Group: 4

Ha Noi, April, 2023

FACULTY OF ENGLISH -

GROUP DISCUSSION ENGLISH 3

Topic: Extreme Weather

Group: 4

Teacher:

Group preparation assessment:

Presentation assessment: List of students (in the order of presenting)

Outline

1 What is extreme weather? 4

2 Types of extreme weather 4

2.1 Drought 4

2.2 Heat waves 4

2.3 Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones 5

2.4 Tornadoes 5

2.5 Wildfires 6

2.6 Winter Storms 6

3 How is the climate crisis making extreme weather events more frequent and severe? 7

3.1 About drought 7

3.2 About Heat waves 8

3.3 About Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones 8

3.4 About Tornadoes 9

3.5 About Wildfires 9

3.6 About Winter Storms 9

4 The consequences of the extreme wweather events 10

5 The cause of extreme weather in the world ( climate change ) 11

6 How have climate change and extreme weather affected humans? 13

7 What can we do to reduce climate change and extreme weather? 13

8 Conclusion 15

1 What is extreme weather?

As the world has warmed, that warming has triggered many other changes to the Earth’s climate Changes in extreme weather and climate events, such as heat waves and droughts, are the primary way that most people experience climate change

Extreme events are occurrences of unusually severe weather or climate conditions that can cause devastating impacts on communities and agricultural and natural ecosystems Weather-related extreme events are often short-lived and include heat waves, freezes, heavy downpours, tornadoes, tropical cyclones and floods

2.1 Drought

A drought is defined as “a period of abnormally dry weather sufficiently prolonged for the lack of water to cause a serious hydrologic imbalance in the affected area.” What this means

is that a dry spell lasts long enough to diminish the water supply or damage crops One famous example is the Dust Bowl of the 1930s While this is often referred to as a single disaster, it was

a series of droughts that impacted the south-central U.S and were then exacerbated by damaging dust storms Currently, the southwestern U.S is amid its biggest megadrought in 1,200 years, which has shrunken reservoirs, depleted Utah’s Great Salt Lake to record low levels, and encouraged devastating wildfires

2.2 Heat waves

A heat wave is a stretch of unusually hot weather that lasts for two or more days To be considered a heat wave, temperatures must rise above the average for an area, so two 95-degree days in Maine would be considered a heat wave, but the same in Death Valley would not Heat waves are often caused when hot air becomes trapped over an area by something like a high-pressure system Heat waves are the deadliest kind of extreme weather event, killing more U.S residents each year on average than any other weather disaster The blood thickens when the human body becomes overheated, forcing the heart to pump harder and putting it and other organs at risk for damage The deadliest heat wave on record was a 2010 heat wave that killed as

2.3 Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones

A tropical cyclone is a type of storm that forms over tropical or subtropical waters It consists of a rotating circle of clouds and thunderstorms These weather systems are defined by their maximum sustained wind speed A system with a wind speed below 39 miles per hour is a tropical depression A system with a wind speed above this is a tropical storm A storm with a wind speed of 74 miles per hour or higher is a tropical cyclone Tropical cyclones are called hurricanes in the North Atlantic, central North Pacific, and eastern North Pacific, and typhoons

in the Northwest Pacific In the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, all storms are called tropical cyclones regardless of wind speed Tropical cyclones are usually accompanied by heavy winds, large waves, heavy rains, and flooding

2.4 Tornadoes

Tornadoes are caused by thunderstorms, usually from very strong or super strong thunderstorms People believe that when the upper cold air pressure is above the bottom hot air, the hot air will be forcibly moved upwards But when a tornado occurs on the water surface, convection is usually not visible, nor is the temperature difference between layers visible Therefore, the causes of tornadoes have not yet been fully understood by humans

However, most tornadoes are formed by a type of thunderstorm cloud, especially charged cloud Clouds can last for several hours, rotating within an area with a diameter between 10 and

16 kilometers, moving hundreds of miles, and creating huge straws Their origin is a climate where hot air rises and cold air falls

The diameter of a tornado can range from tens of meters to a few kilometers But most tornadoes have a diameter of about 50 meters

During movement, it may rush away (and then throw it at a certain distance) or destroy everything, including sturdy brick houses, making tornadoes a particularly dangerous meteorological phenomenon

The sound of a tornado is usually a continuous rumbling sound, just like when a train arrives Sometimes, when a car is speeding, a tornado can produce huge noise, such as the noise

tornado appears in the ocean and forms a tornado, it usually attracts water dust to high places, forming dozens of tons of aquatic plants

2.5 Wildfires

Wildfire, also known as a forest fire, is a fire event arising in a forest, affecting or destroying some or all of its components Wildfires can be controlled fires in silviculture or uncontrolled fires When the wildfires, a curtain of smoke hangs over the forest, with tall gray trees, a deadly gray

Wildfires often have two origins arising from human impact or weather conditions in nature Wildfires spontaneously occurring in nature plays an important role in the process of forest succession Pests and diseases thrive making trees grow weaker, the forest will consist of many dead trees, and dry wood and weather phenomena will create a huge fire, and then for a while from the seed source left over from the fire or animals, wind, and water, it will grow again

However, this often also leads to irreversible consequences, people will not see trees regrow on the site where the fire took place

2.6 Winter Storms

Winter Storms have two completely different meanings According to a definition, Winter Storms conditions can occur without snow Another common meaning of a snowstorm is cold winter, where storms accumulate a large amount of snow, usually related to strong winds blowing snow and drifting snow Snowstorms refer to strong snowstorms, ice, or hail that often occur in high mountain areas They are very dangerous, and throughout history, they have caused several disasters in some big cities

When a snowstorm occurs, the temperature is usually below zero degrees Celsius One of their main characteristics is strong winds, which makes them even more dangerous In a blizzard, due to strong winds, you may experience a heat sensation of -20 degrees The wind can maintain and have strong winds, reaching a speed of 56 km/h or higher Overall, the blizzard lasted for

3.1 About drought

Climate change increases the risk of worsening drought in many parts of the world Droughts are expected to get more frequent, intense, and longer lasting, and are at particular risk How climate change contributes to drought:

soil This makes periods with low rainfall drier than they would be in cooler conditions

• Warmer winter temperatures are causing less rain to fall as snow in the Northern Hemisphere, including in other key regions

• Some climate models find that warming increases rainfall variability, meaning there will

be more periods of both extreme precipitation and drought

• In some areas, droughts can be prolonged through a vicious cycle, in which very dry soils and plant cover absorb more solar radiation and heat up, encouraging the formation of high-pressure systems that further suppress rainfall, leading an already dry area to become even drier

Additionally, severe drought can affect:

• Water supply: During droughts, communities may have limited access to water for household use, as well as for agriculture, transportation, and power generation

• Agriculture: Droughts affect cattle and crops, including corn, soybeans, and wheat In countries facing uncertainty in food prices, spikes in costs can lead to social unrest and famine

• Transportation: Droughts can lower river water levels, threatening commerce on rivers Drought is also often accompanied by extreme heat, which can affect roadways and ground for travel

• Energy: Drought could raise concerns about power generation from plants that need cooling water to stay safe When heat waves are accompanied by droughts, electricity demand may increase

3.2 About Heat waves

Across the globe, hot days are getting hotter, while we’re experiencing fewer cold days Heat waves are becoming more common, and intense heat waves are more frequent Extreme heat can increase the risk of other types of disasters like drought, and wildfire Rising temperatures across the country pose a threat to people, ecosystems, and the economy

• Human Health: Extreme heat is one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the

world Heat stress occurs in humans when the body is unable to cool itself effectively Normally, the body can cool itself through sweating, but when humidity is high, sweat won’t evaporate as quickly, potentially leading to heatstroke Hot days are also associated with increases in heat-related illnesses Groups that are particularly vulnerable to heat stress include older adults, infants, children, people with chronic health conditions, and outdoor workers

• Agriculture: High temperatures can be damaging to agriculture Plant growth is

negatively impacted by high daytime temperatures Heat waves also increase the chances of castles experiencing heat stress Not only that, heat waves can exacerbate droughts and wildfires, which can lead to negative impacts on the agriculture sector

• Energy: Warmer temperatures affect many aspects of the other region's energy system,

including production, transmission, and demand While higher summer temperatures increase electricity demand for cooling, at the same time, they can lower the ability of transmission lines

to carry power, possibly leading to electricity reliability issues like rolling blackouts during heat waves

3.3 About Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones

Climate change is worsening hurricane impacts in the world by increasing the intensity and severity at which they travel These trends are resulting in hurricanes being far more costly

in terms of both physical damages and deaths Hurricanes are subject to several climate change-related influences:

• Warmer sea surface temperatures increase tropical storm wind speeds, giving them the potential to deliver more damage if they make landfall It also causes wetter hurricanes, with

10-15 percent more rainfall from storms projected Recent storms such as Hurricane Harvey in

2017, and Mangkhut in 2018 demonstrate the devastating floods that can be triggered by these

• Sea level rise is already making coastal storms more damaging and is expected to continue worsening Globally, the average sea level is expected to rise by 1 to 2.5 feet during this century Coastal regions will experience the worst of these effects Sea level rise increases the risk of flooding by three or four times and increases the impact of storms

• Changes in the atmosphere, like the warming of the Arctic, may be contributing to other trends seen in the hurricane record Hurricanes today travel more slowly than they previously did Storms are “stalling” and causing coastal regions to have higher total rainfall Besides that, The warming may be changing the pattern of tropical storms, leading to more storms occurring at higher latitudes This change could put much more lives and property at risk

3.4 About Tornadoes

Tornadoes have become increasingly severe and frequent due to the ongoing climate crisis These powerful storms are generated by the interaction of warm and cold air masses, and

as the planet warms, this interaction becomes more volatile As a result, the conditions that give rise to tornadoes are more prevalent and intense, leading to more destructive storms that are occurring with greater frequency In addition to causing significant property damage and loss of life, tornadoes can also have far-reaching impacts on communities, disrupting infrastructure and economic activity

3.5 About Wildfires

Forest fires are a major consequence of climate change, and their severity and frequency have been increasing in recent years The rising global temperatures and prolonged periods of drought make it easier for wildfires to start and spread, leading to devastating consequences for both the environment and humans The impacts of forest fires are far-reaching and can include loss of biodiversity, habitat destruction, soil erosion, and water contamination In addition, forest fires have a significant impact on the air quality, often leading to respiratory issues for those living in the affected areas The economic costs of forest fires are also significant, including damage to homes, infrastructure, and tourism

3.6 About Winter Storms

Winter storms are becoming increasingly severe and frequent due to the ongoing climate

ocean currents, leading to changes in weather patterns that can result in more severe winter storms The impacts of these storms can be devastating, with widespread power outages, transportation disruptions, and damage to homes and businesses As the climate crisis worsens,

we will likely continue to see more frequent and severe winter storms, with potentially disastrous consequences for communities and ecosystems around the world

4 The consequences of the extreme wweather events

Extreme weather can have serious and lasting impacts beyond the initial wildfire, flood,

or storm

More health risks

Both warm and cold weather can also cause long-lasting health implications Cold weather can increase the risk of pneumonia, influenza, norovirus, and heart disease Higher temperatures increase heat-related illnesses and make working outdoors more difficult Wildfires start more easily and spread more rapidly when conditions are hotter Water resources can be contaminated by drought or flooding, which can spill wastewater into the drinking supply

Loss of species

Climate change poses risks to the survival of species on land and in the ocean These risks increase as temperatures climb Exacerbated by climate change, the world is losing species

at a rate 1,000 times greater than at any other time in recorded human history One million species are at risk of becoming extinct within the next few decades Some species will be able to relocate and survive, but others will not

Proverty

Climate change increases the factors that put and keep people in poverty Floods may sweep away urban slums, destroying homes and livelihoods

Agriculture and fisheries are highly dependent on the climate Water scarcity may affect crops Changes in the frequency and severity of droughts and floods could pose challenges for