How do we know climate change played a role in the floods?

The Spinoff Daily, Friday February 3

Feb 3

Ahiahi mārie, welcome to The Spinoff Daily.

Today on The Spinoff, why Niki Bezzant won’t stop talking about menopause, the cruise ship crew that almost cleaned out a city’s egg supply and a first-hand account of the chaos of going to – and getting home from – last Friday’s Elton John concert.

But first, scientists were as stunned as the rest of us at the record rainfall. Now they’re ready to find out why it happened.

Toby Manhire writes: “‘It’s a one-in-100-year weather event, and we seem to be getting a lot of them at the moment,’ said PM Chris Hipkins. ‘I think people can see that there’s a message in that … Climate change is real, it’s with us.’ After initially expressing uncertainty, mayor Wayne Brown jumped on board. ‘As the prime minister has said, this is climate change,’ he stated. ‘And I agree.’

But how did climate change play a role? To what extent? And how do scientists go about working that all out?”

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