Weather Goes to the Extreme

Has extreme become the new norm? Looks like it. Take the mid-July news and weather reports from the BBC. Wild fires rage in Greece and California. Typhoons/super storms hit the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan and China. Extreme temperatures are all the rage in Europe. Germany’s all-time heat record was toppled on 5 July in Kitzingen, hitting 40.3 degrees Celsius. Spain’s been hotter than ever. Switzerland, usually super cool, has seen the mercury rise to 40 C in Geneva. The year is likely to be rated as the hottest in recorded history. It was bad enough in 2014 if you look at the latest report of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with data from 413 researchers in 58 countries. All vital information for representatives from all countries who will meet in Paris in December to decide – yes, they have to decide – on a climate action  plan and commitments for the future. No choice really, but it’s obvious that those most vulnerable to the early impacts of climate change – all those in the tropical belt – will be doing their utmost to get help to cope with what’s happening now and what they know will get worse. So it’s past talking of mitigating climate change. We have to learn to live with it. Resilience, preparedness and adaptation are the words and actions that matter. Extreme actions for a situation that is already extreme. -                                                                 Ken Hickson