A record-breaking heatwave has swept across Europe, “disintegrating” parts of Germany’s famous autobahn and causing chaos. Climate scientists say such heatwaves early in the Northern Hemisphere summer are likely to be more frequent as the planet heats up — a phenomenon that scientists have shown to be driven by human use of fossil fuels. The climate change deniers will be out in force after this. The simple fact is how long can they remain skeptics when the facts are there in front of them. Parts of Europe and the UK also tasted a severe heatwave last summer.
You dont have to feel sorry for me as I do not live in Europe. Having said that, Oz has copped some of its hottest weather on record past five years. The hottest dry spell ever last summer. Some 80/90% of my state is still in dire need of rain and it is now winter. Australian professor, Philip Alston has told the UN how the "rich will pay to escape the worst effects of climate change, while the rest of the world will be left to suffer". The world faces “a climate apartheid” where the wealthy are better able to adjust to a hotter planet while the poor suffer the worst from climate change, Alston told the UN. He warned that “climate change threatens to undo the last 50 years of progress … in poverty reduction.” Alston’s report, which will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council next week says climate change could leave 140 million across the developing world homeless by 2050.
A good percentage of that 140million people could be from this country. A calamitous problem of lack of drinking water is looming for 100 million Indians or 40% of its population, due to weakening monsoon seasons. At least 21 cities are expected to run out of groundwater by 2020. That is a year away. Three rivers, four water bodies, five wetlands and six forests have completely dried in the city of Chennai despite having better water resources and rains than any other Indian metro cities.