Ekstremni vremenski pojavi postajajo vse bolj intenzivni in pogostejši.12,13 (IPCC 2007)
Nekaj izmed največjih katastrof leta 2010:
Ruski vročinski val in požari. Zaradi poletnega vročinskega vala leta 2010 in onesnaženega zraka zaradi požarov gozdov se je število umrlih ljudi v Moskvi podvojilo na končno število 700 smrti na dan.14,15 (Ruska akademija znanosti) Mestni predstavniki Moskve (Rusija) poročajo o 60% porastu smrtnosti v preteklem poletju, ko je zaradi posledic prekomerne količine smoga in rekordno visokih temperatur umrlo približno 11.000 prebivalcev mesta.16
Pakistanske poplave. Zaradi obsežnih poplav, ki so bile najhujše v zgodovini države, je umrlo približno 2.000 ljudi, več kot 20 milijonov je bilo poškodovanih ali pa so ostali brez doma. Pod vodo je bila ena petina države.17
Plazovi na Kitajskem. Samo v letu 2010 je zaradi plazov in poplav po celi državi i umrlo 3.100 ljudi, 1.000 je bilo pogrešanih. Število poplav na Kitajskem je v primerjavi z letom 1950 naraslo sedemkrat.18
Brazilijosta v aprilu in juniju 2010 prizadeli izjemno težki poplavi, ki sta vsakič zahtevali stotine smrtnih žrtev.19
Poljska je maja 2010 trpela najhujše poplave zadnjih desetletij.20
Poleti leta 2010 so na Portugalskem
divjali gozdni požari, ki so jih povzročili nizka vlažnost zraka, močni vetrovi in visoke temperature, ki so presegle rekordnih 40 stopinj Celzija.21
2010 je Čad in Nigerijonajprej prizadela suša, nato pa so ji sledile poplave, ki so uničile še preostanek pridelkov, ki ga suša ni uničila.22
2010 so Indijo, severno Evropo, Severno Ameriko in Južno Ameriko prizadeli ekstremen mraz in snežne nevihte.
V Indoneziji, Islandiji, Turčiji, Čilu, Haitiju, itd. so leta 2010 zabeležili veliko potresov in vulkanske aktivnosti.
Globalno segrevanje lahko sproži izbruh vulkanov, ki so pokriti z ledom, npr. islandski Eyjafjallajökull. Izguba ledu zmanjšuje pritisk na vroče kamenine pod zemeljsko površino, zaradi česar vulkani lažje izbruhnejo.23(Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 2010)
Zaradi podnebnega segrevanja se je v zadnjem desetletju povečalo število zemeljskih in snežnih plazov v visokogorju. Izbruh vulkanov je vse lažji, povzročeni veliki zemeljski plazovi pa lahko uničijo celotna mesta.24
(David Pyle, vulkanolog na univerzi Oxford, Bill McGuire iz univerze College London in Rachel Lowe iz univerze Exeter, Velika Britanija)
Ledeniška jezera pozročajo poplave, ker zaradi taljenja ledenikov narašča število in velikost jezer.25(Mednarodni center za integrirani razvoj gora (ICIMOD) v Kathmandu, 2010)
Romm, J. (2009, January 26). NOAA stunner: Climate change “largely irreversible for 1000 years,” with permanent Dust Bowls in Southwest and around the globe. An online acticle on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] finding. Climate Progress blog. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://climateprogress.org/2009/01/26/noaa-climate-change-irreversible-1000-years- drought-dust-bowls/
Drought, wildfires put Brazil under environmental emergency (2010, September 8). MYsinchew.com. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://www.mysinchew.com/node/44603?tid=37
Matson, J. (2010, April 21). A warming world could trigger earthquakes, landslides and volcanoes. An online acticle on Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A (Physical, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences research. Scientific American [Electronic version]. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=no-link-now-between-eyjafjallajando-2010-04-21
Global warming could turn forests from sink to source of carbon emissions. (2009, April 16). An online acticle on International Union of Forest Research Organizations [IUFRO] report. mongabay.com. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0416-forests.html
Finnish Environment Institute (2010). Soil contributes to climate warming more than expected - Finnish research shows a flaw in climate models. University of Helsinki. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://www.ymparisto.fi/default.asp?contentid=351875&lan=en
Corwin, J.A. (2006, October 12). Russia: Siberia’s Once-Frozen Tundra Is Melting. An online acticle on Dr. Katie Walter finding. Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1071976.html
Fitzpatrick, M. (2010, January 6). Methane release ‘looks stronger’. An acticle on Professor Igor Semiletov finding, head of the International Siberian Shelf Study [ISSS], University of Alaska at Fairbanks, USA. BBC. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8437703.stm
Ljunggren, D. (2009, July 29). Arctic tundra hotter, boosts global warming: expert. An acticle on Professor Greg Henry research, University of British Columbia. Reuters. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE56S53E20090729
Return to previous Arctic conditions is unlikely (2010). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s [NOAA] Arctic Report Card 2010 Update. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard/
Hansen, K. (2010, January 27). Arctic ‘Melt Season’ Is Growing Longer, New Research Demonstrates. NASA. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from Phsyorg.com http://www.physorg.com/news183836066.html
Water flowing through ice sheets accelerates warming, could speed up ice flow (2010, November 3). University of Colorado, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences [CIRES]. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-11-ice-sheets.html
Greenland glacier calves island four times the size of Manhattan (2010, August 6). University of Delaware. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://www.physorg.com/news200326075.html
Lamont-Doherty (2010, June 20). New research sheds light on Antarctica’s melting Pine Island Glacier. British Antarctic Survey. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://www.physorg.com/news196255601.html
Stracansky P., (2010, November 13). Fast Melting Glaciers Threaten Biodiversity. Inter Press Service [IPS] / International Federation of Environmental Journalists [IFEJ] / UNEP/ CBD. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53552
Hance, J. (2009, November 2). Goodbye, snows of Kilimanjaro. An article on Proceedings of the National Academy of Science [PNAS] report. mongabay.com. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1102-hance_kilimanjaro.html