Do you like news of the “If you thought you were screwed, it’s even worse!” variety? Then with no further ado: a new study in Nature suggests that climate change brings a higher risk of flooding than previously thought. Researchers say that current predictions overlook the fact that rising levels of carbon dioxide decrease plants’ ability to suck up water from the ground and release the excess into the atmosphere. On the bright side, “It means that increases in drought due to climate change could be less severe as plants lose less water,” says researcher Richard Betts. “On the other hand, if the land is saturated more often, you might expect that intense rainfall events are more likely to cause flooding.” We wear water wings at all times now, just to be safe.
