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Heatwaves are becoming more intense, longer, and more frequent. According to National Geographic, recent studies show these extreme events are increasing globally—even in places that weren’t heavily affected before. 🌍 Record-breaking temperatures have been seen in Canada, Spain, and Pakistan. 📈 Since the 1980s, heatwaves have increased sixfold. 🌊 Even the ocean is affected: marine heatwaves have doubled since 1982. Why is this happening? • Global warming, driven by human emissions, raises average temperatures and increases the frequency and duration of extreme events. • Factors like El Niño, the weakening of the jet stream, and ocean warming also contribute to intensifying these episodes. Sources: https://www.nationalgeographic.com.es/ciencia/estas-han-sido-las-olas-de-calor-mas-extremas-nunca-registradas-_18228

One of the effects of global warming is the rise in sea levels as a consequence of increasing temperatures. Data from the Copernicus Marine Service show changes in absolute sea level due to land ice loss and the thermal expansion of the oceans. For this reason, many cities vulnerable to the risk of flooding have taken measures over the past decades. • The Netherlands, one of the most affected areas, has a large barrier that protects the city from flooding. It consists of two sluice complexes that discharge excess accumulated water into the Wadden Sea. It was built in 1935 and has since protected thousands of people. • In London, a set of 10 gates spans 520 meters across the width of the River Thames. The barrier closes during high tides to protect London from coastal flooding. It can also be closed during periods of high water flow at one of the dams. The objective of this project, which has been operating for approximately 30 years, is to reduce the risk of flooding in the City of London. • Finally, Venice has a system of 78 mobile gates to protect the city from high waters. This system of dams, called MOSE, measures 1.5 km and began operating in 2021 after one of the worst floods ever recorded in the Venetian city.

Vulnerability refers to a community’s physical, economic, social, environmental, or institutional weakness in the face of a hazardous event. In other words, it is the degree to which a population is at risk of suffering damage and loss when disaster strikes. This explains why the same event can have drastically different impacts in different regions. In some places, a powerful disaster may cause minimal damage, while in others, even a less intense event can be devastating. Unfortunately, this was evident in the March 28 earthquake, which struck parts of Southeast Asia, with Myanmar (Burma) at its epicenter. With a magnitude of 7.7, the earthquake severely affected Myanmar and neighboring areas, exposing the critical need for resilient infrastructure. In regions where buildings are not designed to withstand seismic activity and where socioeconomic conditions are fragile, the destruction and loss of life tend to be much greater. Although this natural disaster is not directly related to climate change and its effects, they contribute to worsening disaster management.This event is a stark reminder that the impact of disasters is not only about their strength, but also about how prepared a society is to withstand them. Source: Natural hazards. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theia-land.fr/en/natural-hazards/