2004 Signals More Global Warming, Extreme Weather: UN

[HeeBGBz]

"There is the likelihood of an increase in extreme events in the coming decade."

[hatrack]

1. Extreme Weather Losses In Asia For 2004 To Date - $22 Billion

"Natural disasters and extreme weather -- from quakes and floods to some of the worst typhoons in decades -- claimed 4,000 lives and left a 22-billion-dollar trail of destruction across Asia in 2004.
Incessant monsoon rains that lashed Bangladesh, northeast India and parts of Nepal in July and August killed at least 1,240 people. The heaviest downpours in years set off landslides, washed away homes and livelihoods, and spelt ruin for thousands of South Asia's poorest people.

Large swathes of Bangladesh, which suffered the heaviest inundation since the worst-ever floods of 1998, were submerged for weeks. At least 700 people died and many were stranded, often with little or no fresh water or food. The low-lying country, criss-crossed by a network of 230 rivers, is one of the world's most densely populated nations. Pressure on land leads thousands to eke out a fragile existence on flood plains. Development has increased the impact of flooding as water runs off urban settlements more quickly than it runs off agricultural land, increasing the likelihood of flash flooding.

EDIT

Elsewhere, an unusual high pressure system in the Pacific was the main reason for a record 10 typhoons that hit Japan and the heaviest rain in 29 years, the country's Meteorological Agency said. About 216 people died and damage reached one trillion yen (9.7 billion dollars), government agencies said. Tokyo is now racing to develop new measures to better warn senior citizens, who accounted for most of the victims, and to improve evacuation orders. Many elderly were swept away in floods or buried alive in landslides. Of the 93 killed by Typhoon Tokage, which struck in October, 60 victims were aged over 60. It was Japan's deadliest typhoon in a quarter-century.

EDIT

Powerful storms in the Philippines in early December spawned flash floods and landslides that swept away whole villages, leaving 1,600 dead or missing. (ED. - they're now guessing 1,800 dead or missing in the RP so far, most directly linked to clear-cutting).

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/2004/041215015613.v7scd6zu.html

[reprobate]

5. And what of the unheard of South Atlantic hurrican that hit brazil?

Hurricanes NEVER happen in the south atlantic. At least not in recorded history.

[IrateCitizen]

2. Global averages have only raised 1 degree F...

... yet we are already experiencing extreme weather phenomena -- just look at all the hurricanes that hit FL this year.

Grain yields throughout the lower Midwest have been dropping for the past several years as well, due to the increased warming. The spread of West Nile Virus through the Northeast can be attributed to conditions brought about by global warming. Same with Lyme's disease.

All of this with just an average of 1 degree Fahrenheit.

Imagine what will happen when it warms up an average of 4-5 degrees F? What kind of extreme weather and spreading diseases can we expect then? What happens when malaria suddenly sweeps throughout the Southeastern US, which could become a very real possibility as the climate changes to conditions that support its spread? What happens as grain yields continue to decline due to hotter, drier summers throughout the farm belt?

[mcscajun]

4. The 'worst-case scenario' commissioned by the Pentagon...

done by Global Business Network, and then dismissed by the Pentagon, we have a good idea already of what might happen, not only here but globally.
=============================
The Weather Report: 2010-2020

Conditions:
Drought persists for the entire decade in critical agricultural regions and in areas around major populations centers in Europe and eastern North America.

Average annual temperature drop by up to 5 degrees Fahrenheit over Asia and North American and up to 6 degrees Fahrenheit in Europe.

Temperatures increase by up to 4 degrees Fahrenheit in key areas throughout Australia, South America and southern Africa.

Winter storms and winds intensify, amplifying the impact of the changes. Western Europe and the North Pacific face enhanced westerly winds.

Impacts:
North America: Cold, Dry, Windy ("Colder, windier and drier weather makes growing seasons shorter and less productive throughout the northeastern United States, and longer and drier in the southwest.
Desert areas face increasing windstorms, while agricultural areas suffer from soil loss due to higher wind speeds and reduced soil moisture....The United States turns inward, committing its resources to feeding its own population, shoring-up its borders, and managing the increasing global tension.")

Western Europe: Cold, Dry, Windy ("Reduced precipitation causes soil loss to become a problem throughout Europe, contributing to food supply shortages. Europe struggles to stem emigration out of Scandinavian and northern European nations in search of warmth as well as immigration from hard-hit countries in Africa and elsewhere.")

Eastern Europe: Wet, Stormy

Asia: Dry, Intermittent Monsoons (China ... is hit hard by a decreased reliability of the monsoon rains....Longer, colder winters and hotter summers ... stress already tight energy and water supplies. Widespread famine causes chaos and internal struggles as a cold and hungry China peers jealously across the Russian and western borders at energy resources." "Persistent typhoons and a higher sea level create storm surges that cause significant coastal erosion, making much of Bangladesh nearly uninhabitable....the rising sea level contaminates fresh water supplies inland, creating a drinking water and humanitarian crisis. Massive emigration occurs, causing tension in China and India...")

Africa: Dry (" . . .challenged by persistent drought....food supply is challenged as major grain producing regions suffer.")

Australia: "...struggles to supply food around the globe, as its agriculture is not severely impacted by more subtle changes in its climate. But the large uncertainties about Southern Hemisphere climate change make this benign conclusion suspect.")

Worldwide: "...crop yields...fall by 10-25% and are less predictable...some agricultural pests die due to temperature changes, other species spread more rapidly ... requiring alternative pesticides....Commercial fisherman that typically have rights to fish in specific areas will be ill equipped for the massive migration of their prey." "With only five or six key grain-growing regions in the world (US, Australia, Argentina, Russia, China and India) there is insufficient surplus in global food supplies to offset severe weather conditions in a few regions at the same time -- let alone four or five....Catastrophic shortages of water and energy supply...cannot be quickly overcome."
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Fun, huh?

But of course...this is only the Worst-Case Scenario. This couldn't possibly happen. Right.

[BiggJawn]

3. WHAT global warming?

Haven't they heard? Dumbya says we need more research. but he's not paying for it.
<sarcasm, if you couldn't guess>

[Name removed]

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[hatrack]

7. Oh, yeah, junkscience.com - why not NewsMax or AEI while you're at it?

What's your membership badge number in the John Stossel Fan Club, Clinton Curtis? :eyes:

[Name removed]

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[hatrack]

9. You're free to disagree - being taken seriously, though, is another matter

So, when you post links to right-wing bullshit sites, don't act all surprised when you get slapped down.

Try posting something scientific, instead.

Maybe something from Geophysical Research Letters, or the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, or Science, or Nature, or the Royal Society, or the Max Planck Institute, or NCAR, or the NSIDC, or NASA or NOAA or Annals of Glaciology or Antarctic Meteorology Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin, or the University of South Australia, or the University of East Anglia, or the IPCC, or any number of other reputable groups that do original research.

You know, original, peer-reviewed research. Some call it "science".

Oh, and it's "verboten", by the way - only one "t".

Have a nice day.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Just Me]

10. Naw. You can disagree. It's just that, an overwhelming number,...

,...of concerned (e.g. not greedy and/or corporate-tied) scientists stand on the opposite side of your fence.

[Name removed]

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[hatrack]

13. An op-ed piece in a conservative British newspaper

Tell me, was this op-ed piece peer-reviewed? Does it present scientific data, empirically gathered and rigorously studied?

I didn't think so . . .

[Viking12]

19. I've read the article

He's another charlatan. The only proof you need is that he cits the "Oregon Petition".

[superconnected]

14. I doubt the last ice age

had cholorflurocarbons making a hole in the atmosphere.

[superconnected]

15. meaning how can you guys go by past data

when new factors are introduced into the system.

From what I've gotten from reading on global warming, the hole in the atmosphere is causing the poles to warm and melt.

[Name removed]

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[superconnected]

17. I've read alot about ozone recovery and ozone depletion

too bad we aren't part of the kyoto treaty anymore which is a major part of turning it around.

[Name removed]

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