How Climate Change Fueled Record-Breaking Hurricane Beryl

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The havoc caused by Hurricane Beryl on Eastern Caribbean islands last week has placed a glaring spotlight on record-breaking storms. Hurricane Beryl strengthened to a Category 5 storm, set the tone for a “very dangerous” hurricane season.

Beryl swept through Grenada, St. Vincent and The Grenadines and Jamaica, leaving behind a trail of destruction. A Category 5 hurricane under the five-step Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is capable of bringing winds of 157 miles per hour or higher.

More than a week after the storm, leaders across the Caribbean are still tallying the financial toll brought by the earliest Atlantic storm on record, to intensify to the maximum Category 5 level.

Experts say La Niña, the climate pattern seen fueling a highly active hurricane season in the Atlantic, won’t help the situation.

While there is no short-term fix, experts say now is the time to act by keeping fossil fuels in the ground, investing in renewable energy, switching to sustainable transport, improving farming, restoring nature to absorb more carbon, protecting forests and protecting the oceans.