At the end of July, the Mediterranean Sea broke its temperature record: 28.4°C. These temperatures are at the origin of the disasters of this month of September, according to Jean-Philippe Degeai, who details the causes of this storm Daniel. “Warming air causes warming water. This water evaporates, which creates air masses loaded with humidity. These air masses then move towards the continents, leading to extreme rain events there. » According to him, there is a “correlation between the increase in the frequency of floods and the rise in temperatures caused by global warming. »
But, still according to Jean-Philippe Degeai, it is difficult to say that the intensity of these events is increasingly significant. “It’s the impact on human infrastructure that is growing. There are more and more constructions in flood zones. Clearing makes it difficult for water to infiltrate the soil and facilitates surface runoff. Our societies are increasingly vulnerable. » Which can explain the heavy tolls recorded in the countries affected by storm Daniel.
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To deal with this, we must notably reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. “This is the most important measure, but it is slow to be implemented. As a result, these events are likely to increase in number in the future,” he predicts.
France was not unduly affected by floods like other countries around the Mediterranean. This does not mean that the country is safe, far from it. “The south-east of France could have been affected, particularly in mountainous areas close to the sea. As the Roya valley was the scene in 2020 of one of the most important episodes of recent decades,” reminds the doctor.
