Guardian UK: Why Extreme Weather is the New Normal

[marmar]

from the Guardian UK:




Drought zones have been declared across much of England and Wales, yet Scotland has just registered its wettest-ever May. The warmest British spring in 100 years followed one of the coldest UK winters in 300 years. June in London has been colder than March. February was warm enough to strip on Snowdon, but last Saturday it snowed there.

Welcome to the climate rollercoaster, or what is being coined the "new normal" of weather. What was, until quite recently, predictable, temperate, mild and equable British weather, guaranteed to be warmish and wettish, ensuring green lawns in August, now sees the seasons reversed and temperature and rainfall records broken almost every year. When Kent receives as much rain (4mm) in May as Timbuktu, Manchester has more sunshine than Marbella, and soils in southern England are drier than those in Egypt, something is happening.

Sober government scientists at the centre for hydrology and ecology are openly using words like "remarkable", "unprecedented" and "shocking" to describe the recent physical state of Britain this year, but the extremes we are experiencing in 2011 are nothing to the scale of what has been taking place elsewhere recently.

Last year, more than 2m sq km of eastern Europe and Russia scorched. An extra 50,000 people died as temperatures stayed more than 6C above normal for many weeks, crops were devastated and hunderds of giant wild fires broke out. The price of wheat and other foods rose as two thirds of the continent experienced its hottest summer in around 500 years. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/13/extreme-weather-flooding-droughts-fires

[senseandsensibility]

1. keep this kicked

One less weiner thread. LOL.

[Odin2005]

2. K&R

[malaise]

3. K & R

Thanks

[The Doctor.]

4. I'm out of words for the masses of ignorant morons.

I'm just out.

[Grey]

5. unbelieveable.....

How do the 'deniers' explain this?

[kenny blankenship]

8. Look, we can agree that the climate is changing, but if we can't agree that it is due to witchcraft

We on the right will just have to keep calling you out for your Junk Science.

Witchcraft: the simplest explanation should always be preferred.

[Maru Kitteh]

6. K & R, sadly.

[napoleon_in_rags]

7. Oh my God! Hey everybody! Look over here! A penis! A penis! nt

[highplainsdem]

9. K&R

[Zax2me]

10. Terra terra terra!

Same cry, different cause.
The world is always ending.
Split believers non-believers generate passion and pub.

Deniers?
Idiots.
Morons.
"Non-believers"

Solutions?
Give us money.

Truth?
Lost amid the screaming between both sides.
Neither is quite right.
Just give money or die.
In hell or on dying planet.
It's the end.

But don't forget to pay (cash please)in last ditch effort to save.
Pay who?
Preacher or planet saver.
Doesn't matter.
But pay.

[jtrockville]

11. This was all very predictable (and predicted).

Maybe... just maybe...
when it comes to climate science...
we should listen to climate scientists?

[Forkboy]

12. That's just crazy talk!

;)

I remember being mocked for bringing this topic up in the early 90's. Little has changed since then, though some seem to be slowly coming around.

[Forkboy]

13. The climate needs to tweet a huge penis to get people to care.

[Denzil_DC]

14. K&R n/t