Posts filed under 'Global Warming'
Just ask the people of Kiribati if global warming really exists
It is impossible to miss opinions of the people who do not believe in global warming. I am not going to argue with them – no time to waste here.
But here is what I think.
If we continue emitting as much pollution into the atmosphere as we have done until now, I am afraid it may be too late to stem the effects of “runaway” global warming which can be devastating on a scale we may not yet predict.
There are already consequences that real people have to deal with as a matter of urgency.
You may never have heard about Kiribati, a nation of low-lying islands in the Pacific Ocean (to the north
Kiribati flooded
east of Australia) but this nation now faces a real threat of disappearance under water because of rising global sea levels. They have even started talking to other countries about a possibility of complete relocation of their citizens to safer places. So they effectively become “ecomigrants”.
The same story with the Maldives (a better known country for its tourism industry), an island nation in the Indian Ocean.
There are of course many other coastal locations throughout the world which are vulnerable to global warming effects. We will see more and more ecomigrants originating from these locations.
Take Hurricane Katrina which virtually wiped out New Orleans in 2005. Hurricanes form in warm climatic conditions. So the higher the temperature of the ocean water, the bigger the chance of a hurricane formation. This hurricane also caused a big migration of people to other places in the US.
Florida is another vulnerable location. I am sure it is a beautiful place with beautiful beaches but I just feel for the people who live there – they are truly exposed to the warming-induced climatic risks.
Some coastal big cities like New York may also disappear …
Where do I stop with this list of places?
Well, we live in Scotland. I guess we can always try to hide in the mountains, the Highlands … But that is an inappropriate joke, sorry!
Irina
Add comment March 6, 2009
Does global warming have anything to do with the British snowfalls?
These snowfalls that we are now experiencing in Britain do make you wonder about the climate patterns throughout the world.
On the one hand, Australia is experiencing an extreme heat wave which is now suspected to have contributed to the wildfires as well.
On the other hand, Britain is experiencing an extreme cold weather event, with snow heavily falling all over the country and disrupting tons of services.
Snow in our garden today
(Well, at least for me. I live in the west of Scotland and because of heavy snow I could not drive my son to his granny today, and he was very disappointed! But at least we made a lovely snowman instead 
, so no worries. )
I am now trying to compare climates of the countries that I am familiar with.
I am originally from Turkmenistan (ex-Soviet country to the south of Russia). So I am not quite familiar with the historical weather in Britain.
I asked my husband and he told me that it is not that unusual to have snow in this country but the period of the year when it happens has moved (forward). He said, it used to snow more around Christmas time but now it’s February … .
I suspect that it is not only the change in timing but in the intensity and amount of snowfall here as well.
I also remember reading about snow falling in Moscow in June (which apparently occurs every 25 – 30 years). Obviously, not the kind of snow you’d expect in winter but still …
As for Turkmenistan (my relatives till living there are telling me), then the weather has also changed there.
My mom tells me it can be quite warm during the new year period, and unusually cold during other times of the year when it should normally not be that cold.
Now, you don’t want to know the summer weather in Turkmenistan.
Apparently, during the last several summers it has become so hot that people don’t even remember having such hot summers before (I certainly don’t though I do remember generally hot summers).
The Turkmen summer temperature may now easily reach above 50 – 55 °C (122 °F) and above. I remember the temperature being 40 – 45 °C (104 – 113 °F) but not more.
It is a safety hazard to be outside in this temperature so everyone stays at home and tries to keep themselves cool any way they can (I remember our conditioners getting disconnected all the time because of the electricity supply failure during peak times).
Any way, when I was preparing my global warming effects article, I wrote about predictions of extreme weather events such as unusually severe heat waves, cold winters as well as changes in timings of different weather related events etc.
It is sort of developing in front of my eyes now …
We really need to try to do something about it, asap.
If you want, you can learn more about what is global warming on my site here.
Add comment February 9, 2009
