As such, it is not a big news that weather and climate are affected by temperature. However, it is important once and for all to stop and think a little more about that.
Here in the late summer there was a great focus on the three tropical hurricanes, Harvey, Irma and Maria. They were individually special and caused tremendous damage. Since the hot sea water is the main reason for the formation of these storms, there is a logic of seeing a correlation between the strength of the storms and the temperature of the water. So the warmer the seawater is, the stronger the hurricanes become. Scientists generally agree.
The major floods in India and the surrounding countries due to an unstable monsoon are also seen as a result of higher sea temperatures.
The violent heat wave in southern Europe this summer with temperatures above 40 degrees has dried up the area. It gives good conditions for forestfires, as we see it in Portugal these days.
The awe to putting these disasters in relation to global warming is called “Climate Silence”. Despite the fact that the researchers call the current age of “Anthropocene” because human beings now influence the evolution of the globe in a way that exceeds natural development, only few connect the more intense weather events as affected by human activity .
I concede that it is becoming apocalyptic, but it should not prevent one to say it straight away: “Human emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere now affect the weather to such an extent that we undermine our own existence on this planet “!
Report on report tell the same story, and yet rarely reaches the big political talks. It would otherwise be an obvious opportunity to be remembered in the future if today’s politicians took responsibility and carried out the necessary actions. The Paris agreement is a good starting point, but the necessary tightening of this agreement is still to be seen. Even though the same agreement says that the rise in temperature should be reduced to below two degrees, while the current agreement aims at an increase of between 3 and 3.5 degrees.
Therefore, the urge must be that we must see these disasters as if they happen in our own backyard – and not in a far distance. Thereby we can feel them and take them seriously and hopefully act to increase our ambitions in fighting the climate change. This should mean that climate issues are getting higher on the agenda and from there the debate can more constructively lead to the solutions that can change the current course against the abyss. The solutions exist, but it is up to us if we want to apply them.
