One of the principal signs of global warming is the frequency of adverse weather conditions. As global warming continues to gather momentum, average temperatures across the globe will increase and occurrences of extreme weather will become ever more commonplace.
Changes in our normal weather patterns, has far reaching consequences, for our weather governs the seasons, and as our seasons become ever more erratic, the effects will impact upon the habitats and habits of animals, plant and Eco-systems across the globe. Agriculture will face a growing number of challenges as traditional winter, spring and summer crops will provide lower yields which will undoubtedly reflect in the price and availability of fundamental food crops.
With continued increases in global temperatures, we will also bear witness to the consequences of widespread desertification. It is anticipated that some 4 billion hectares of land could be at risk, a phenomena created by long periods of drought. Desertification has wide reaching implications and 110 countries that have, what are termed 'dry lands' face the economic and environmental consequences that come with desertification.
With desertification comes another problem that will, with time become ever more deadly, for as once semi-fertile land becomes ever more arid and desert like, dust clouds will gain prevalence.
FACT: In Asia dust clouds will not only become widespread, they will manifest themselves over industrial cities and combine with other noxious pollutants that will have the ability to block 10 per cent of the sun's heat!
On the other hand, countries like India will suffer as their normal wet season becomes permanent, this permanent flooding has the power to displace some 150 million people living in a space half the size, yet with twice the population of the UK.!
The 1990's saw three times as many natural disasters than in any other period in history.
Weather Facts:
Globally the hottest year ever recorded was 1981
Twenty out of 21 hottest years ever measured have all occurred during the past 25 years.
Australia has experienced widespread drought since 2001 - threatening not only people's lives but the countries crops including wheat, Australia is the world's third largest wheat producer continued drought threatens to destroy over half of the countries output.
2006 marked China's worst drought in over 50 years - an estimated 18 million people were left short of water and over 321 million acres of valuable arable land and some 17 million animals were affected.
The number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled within 25 years!
The horn of Africa experienced two years of NO rain as a consequence over 8 million people are facing starvation.
In 2005 temperatures plummeted shrouding Delhi in thick frost
The longest river in the world the Amazon was reduced to a mere trickle as the country was ravaged by unprecedented drought during 2006
In January 2006 Russia experienced a chilly -40C
Japan suffered under 10 foot of snow during the winter of 2005
Melting of permafrost has caused widespread devastation and millions of dollars worth of damage across Alaska
Louisiana has lost approximately 1 million acres of wetland due to rising sea-levels
Lest anyone can forget the sheer devastation of August 29th 2005, when Hurricane Katrina decimated much of new Orleans.
Nor can we afford to forget the events that took place on boxing day 2004 when Sumatra was hit by a giant Tsunami.
In Romania and Bulgaria thousands of people were forced from their homes when the River Danube broke its banks after hitting a 111 year high.
Flash floods devastated the sleepy Cornish village of Boscastle
Torrential flooding killed more than 800 people and left tens of thousand's homeless in Ethiopia.
Changes in our normal weather patterns, has far reaching consequences, for our weather governs the seasons, and as our seasons become ever more erratic, the effects will impact upon the habitats and habits of animals, plant and Eco-systems across the globe. Agriculture will face a growing number of challenges as traditional winter, spring and summer crops will provide lower yields which will undoubtedly reflect in the price and availability of fundamental food crops.
With continued increases in global temperatures, we will also bear witness to the consequences of widespread desertification. It is anticipated that some 4 billion hectares of land could be at risk, a phenomena created by long periods of drought. Desertification has wide reaching implications and 110 countries that have, what are termed 'dry lands' face the economic and environmental consequences that come with desertification.
With desertification comes another problem that will, with time become ever more deadly, for as once semi-fertile land becomes ever more arid and desert like, dust clouds will gain prevalence.
FACT: In Asia dust clouds will not only become widespread, they will manifest themselves over industrial cities and combine with other noxious pollutants that will have the ability to block 10 per cent of the sun's heat!
On the other hand, countries like India will suffer as their normal wet season becomes permanent, this permanent flooding has the power to displace some 150 million people living in a space half the size, yet with twice the population of the UK.!
The 1990's saw three times as many natural disasters than in any other period in history.
Weather Facts:
Globally the hottest year ever recorded was 1981
Twenty out of 21 hottest years ever measured have all occurred during the past 25 years.
Australia has experienced widespread drought since 2001 - threatening not only people's lives but the countries crops including wheat, Australia is the world's third largest wheat producer continued drought threatens to destroy over half of the countries output.
2006 marked China's worst drought in over 50 years - an estimated 18 million people were left short of water and over 321 million acres of valuable arable land and some 17 million animals were affected.
The number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled within 25 years!
The horn of Africa experienced two years of NO rain as a consequence over 8 million people are facing starvation.
In 2005 temperatures plummeted shrouding Delhi in thick frost
The longest river in the world the Amazon was reduced to a mere trickle as the country was ravaged by unprecedented drought during 2006
In January 2006 Russia experienced a chilly -40C
Japan suffered under 10 foot of snow during the winter of 2005
Melting of permafrost has caused widespread devastation and millions of dollars worth of damage across Alaska
Louisiana has lost approximately 1 million acres of wetland due to rising sea-levels
Lest anyone can forget the sheer devastation of August 29th 2005, when Hurricane Katrina decimated much of new Orleans.
Nor can we afford to forget the events that took place on boxing day 2004 when Sumatra was hit by a giant Tsunami.
In Romania and Bulgaria thousands of people were forced from their homes when the River Danube broke its banks after hitting a 111 year high.
Flash floods devastated the sleepy Cornish village of Boscastle
Torrential flooding killed more than 800 people and left tens of thousand's homeless in Ethiopia.
