Drought in Russia; Floods in Pakistan and China; High Temps in the U.S. Consistent with Climate Change Projections

A number of extreme weather events have been happening around the
world this summer, including record flooding in Pakistan that has killed
more than 1,000 people and displaced millions of others; the worst
drought in Russia in decades, which has triggered wildfires and doubled
the daily death rate in Moscow to about 700; and torrential rains in
China, which have caused massive flooding and triggered landslides that
have killed more than 3,000 people.

Meanwhile, here at home,
residents in more than 15 states have been sweltering from heat waves
that flared in June. Several East Coast cities experienced
record-breaking heat last month, which was the hottest one on record in
Rhode Island and Delaware.

The devastating heat, fires and floods we are seeing around the world
this summer are consistent with trends that scientists say are caused
by global warming, including temperature increases, increases in heavy
precipitation in some parts of the world, and droughts in others.

The scientists who have been analyzing data over centuries to
determine shifts in climate have determined that the Earth's average
temperature has been increasing, mainly due to a build up of
heat-trapping emissions caused by burning fossil fuels. According to
NASA, 2010 is on track to be the hottest year ever recorded. And the
last decade--from 2000 through 2009--was the hottest recorded decade since
worldwide record-keeping began more than 100 years ago.

While it may seem counterintuitive, a warming planet generates more
precipitation in regions that typically experience rain or snow. That is
because a warmer atmosphere absorbs and retains more water from the
soil and water bodies--lakes, rivers and oceans. Where storm clouds
gather, the atmosphere typically has more water to dump, producing
heavier-than-normal storms.

The U.S. Global Change Research Program and U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have
found that the heaviest rainstorms and snowstorms are depositing more
precipitation today than decades ago. For example, the heaviest storms
are now dumping on average 67 percent more precipitation in the
Northeast and 31 percent more in the Midwest.

"Climate scientists have been warning for years about the potential
for intense heat waves, droughts and drenching rains in various parts of
the world," said Brenda Ekwurzel, a climate scientist with the Union of
Concerned Scientists (UCS). "This intense weather is consistent with
well-documented climate change trends over the past several decades.
Unless we significantly reduce global warming emissions, we'll likely
see even more extreme weather events."

See a related August 9 Reuters story and a Canadian television evening newscast featuring Brenda Ekwurzel.