Countries across the world experienced unusually extreme weather events in 2023, such as hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and floods. Increasingly, scientists are able to tie individual extreme weather events to climate change.

“Was there anyone who didn’t experience some type of extreme weather this year? The complex science of attributing these escalating disasters to climate change is catching up with the reality on the ground,” said Shannon Heyck-Williams, the National Wildlife Federation’s associate vice president of climate and energy. “We thank Chairman Carper for pulling together this hearing on an issue that will define our lives over the coming decades.”

The Senate EPA committee is holding a hearing on the science of severe weather attribution online and in room 406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The National Wildlife Federation is marking the occasion by releasing its updated version of Unnatural Disasters, a storymap describing how warmer temperatures are fueling intense weather events in the United States and how these “unnatural disasters” are harming people and wildlife.