Study shows how rainy days hurt the economy

The increase in the number of humid days and heavy rains can cause a decrease in economic growth. Rich countries, as well as the manufacturing and service sectors, would be most affected.

The information is the result of a study carried out by German researchers and published this Wednesday (12) in the journal Nature.

The research consisted of analyzing data related to the economic production of 1,554 regions around the world, over 40 years (from 1979 to 2019), in addition to data on rainfall in these locations.

“While more rainfall during the year is generally a good thing for economies, especially those that depend on agriculture, the issue is also how rain is distributed over the days of the year. Heavy daily rains turn out to be bad, especially for rich, industrialized countries like the United States, Japan and Germany,” says Leonie Wenz, one of the study’s authors and a member of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Climate Impact).

The researchers point out that daily and intense rains are becoming more common around the world and that they are a consequence of climate change.

Global warming, resulting from high rates of greenhouse gas emissions, is responsible for phenomena such as increasingly voluminous rainfall, according to scientists.

“A closer look at short time periods rather than yearly averages [de chuva], helps us understand what is happening: it is the daily rains that pose a risk. It is the shocks from climate extremes that threaten our way of life,” says Anders Levermann, co-author of the study and also a fellow at the Potsdam Institute.

“By destabilizing our climate, we harm our economies. We have to make sure that burning fossil fuels doesn’t destabilize our societies as well.”