How are floods in eastern Africa connected to Australian fires?

The World

There are a lot of natural disasters plaguing the Southern Hemisphere right now, such as devastating bushfires in Australia and catastrophic floods in eastern Africa. Tying those things together is the Indian Ocean Dipole — a surface water temperature gradient that causes drought in Australia and flooding on the coast of Africa. The World’s Anna Kusmer talks to host Carol Hills about how 2019’s dipole was one of the most extreme ever recorded – and climate change will only make it worse. Scientists say reducing greenhouse gases can help decrease the frequency and intensity of future dipole events. 

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