Sunday, August 5, 2007

A deluge of extreme weather, thanks to climate change

Climate Progress: We’ve seen the Brits acknowledge that climate change is the driving force behind their record flooding. Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said, “The world is going to have to come to terms, so the scientists are telling us, with more extreme weather events.”

Now the Chinese have come to the same conclusion concerning the recent “weather extremes which have led to more than 700 deaths from flooding and left more than seven million with little access to water.” Song Lianchun, head of the China Meteorological Administration’s Department of Forecasting Services and Disaster Mitigation, said:

“It should be said that one of the reasons for the weather extremes this year has been unusual atmospheric circulation bought about by global warming. These kind of extremes will become more frequent, and more obvious. This has already been borne out by the facts… I think the impact on our country will definitely be very large.”

And a new study finds that “Devastating forest fires in Siberia that send a pall of smoke worldwide are happening more frequently because of climate change and in turn accelerating the pace of global warming.” Another study finds “The heatwave that has already killed hundreds across Eastern Europe is no aberration. Since 1880, the frequency of extremely hot days has nearly tripled and the length of heatwaves across the continent has doubled.”

Only in this countries do the Denyers deny that the weather is becoming more extreme or that climate change is a major cause in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. Who can imagine what further catastrophes future generations will have to endure if the Denyers keep obfuscating the science and delaying serious action?

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