Climate change lightning strikes
Climate change is now accepted – being factored into new building regulations. Tax breaks are given to those that build “green” and energy aware / conservative buildings – natural lightning, solar panels etc. but somehow, while this might help – I think is all too late.
Humans have destroyed the earth. Just take a look at Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth“.
One natural phenomena that is seldom mentioned with climate change is lightning. Nerds call this stuff “Atmospheric Electricity“.
Instead of some much needed rain to combat the drought, Brisbane got hammered by a seemingly endless supply of lightning bolts.
As cities get larger, one study has already confirmed that the concrete skyscrapers attract 40% more lightning strikes than the surrounding countryside. This is no surprise, however on a worldwide scale, the number of lightning bolts striking the earth at any moment risen dramatically.
Initially these thunderstorms were thought as being purely a force of nature, but know it is confirmed that megacities radically transform storm life cycles.
Areas which seldom had rain are now experiencing 30% more. Other regions which had a regular rainfall are now experiencing droughts.
As the world warms due to the climate change brought about by the buildup of greenhouses gases , there is more water vapor in the atmosphere which has led to increasingly violent thunderstorms.
Baltimore in the USA has experienced as many lightning strikes in two hours as what they would normally have received during a year! Cities form urban heat islands that are hotter than the surrounding environment. These heat islands together with the wind drag brought about by the tall buildings fuel the storm and tease the cloud charges increasing the severity of lightning strikes.
Policymakers have had to rethink their approach to flash flooding and obviously lightning protection.
Lightning is also a major but natural source of the nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere. These oxides manage the ozone layer. So together with the additional green house gas emissions from fossil fuels, the whole chemistry of the atmosphere is going to change forever!
Some of us will be long gone – but for the children of today, the clock is ticking.
(You can check the Australian weather here)
