文档介绍：This page intentionally left blank
CLIMATE EXTREMES AND SOCIETY
The past few decades have brought extreme weather and climate events to the
forefront of societal concerns. Ordinary citizens, industry, and governments
are concerned about the apparent increase in the frequency of weather and
climate events causing extreme, and in some instances, catastrophic, impacts.
Climate Extremes and Society focuses on the recent and potential future
consequences of weather and climate extremes for different socioeconomic
sectors. The book also examines actions that may enable society to better
respond and adapt to climate variability, regardless of its source. It provides
examples of the impact of climate and weather extremes on society – how these
extremes have varied in the past, and how they might change in the future –
and of the types of effort that will help society adapt to potential future
changes in climate and weather extremes.
This review volume is divided into two sections: one examining the evidence
for recent and projected changes in extremes of weather and climate events,
and the other assessing the impacts of these events on society and on the
insurance industry. Chapters examine a variety of climatic extremes using
both the analysis of observational data and climate model simulations.
Other chapters highlight recent innovative efforts to develop institutional
mechanisms and incentives for integrating knowledge on extremes and their
economic impacts.
The book will appeal to all scientists, engineers, and policymakers who have
an interest in the effects of climate extremes on society.
DR HENRY F. DIAZ is a Research Meteorologist in the Earth System
Research Laboratory at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion (NOAA). He has worked on a variety of climate issues at NOAA over
the past 15 years, particularly the impact of climatic variation on water
resources of the western United States. He is recognized as an expert on