Climate change exacerbates deadly floods worldwide

Catastrophic floods in eastern Libya killed at least 5,100 people, according to local authorities. The disaster comes after a string of deadly floods around the world this month, from China to Brazil to Greece. In every case, extremely heavy rain was to blame.

The enormous loss of life on multiple continents reinforces the profound danger posed by climate-driven rain storms, and the need for better warning systems and infrastructure to protect the most vulnerable populations.

Climate change makes heavy rain more common, even in arid places where the total amount...