Australia: A Poster Child for Climate Change
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology adds deep purple to its maps in response to off the charts heat. -Australian Bureau of Meteorology
The Land Down Under has always been vulnerable to sudden and violent changes in climate, from the well-known hole in the ozone layer to record-setting heatwaves in 2009 to the gradual degradation of the Great Barrier Reef. More importantly, these environmental difficulties have often acted as a harbinger of problems yet to come for the rest of the world.
Today, that problem can be summed up in two related words: “wildfire” and “heat wave.” Although Australia has regularly experienced what the locals term “bushfires”, this summer has set record high temperatures in a dangerous “dome of heat” that threatens to unleash the worst firestorms since those that claimed hundreds of lives in 2009. Yesterday, Australia’s average high temperature set an all-time record of 104.6 degrees Fahrenheit and conditions have officially been labeled “catastrophic”. Wildfires have razed 50,000 acres of forests and farmland across southern Tasmania and 64,000 acres in New South Wales since Friday. Powerful wind gusts, a known accelerant of wildfires, have hit the nation, in some cases exceeding sixty miles an hour and one-hundred individuals have been reported missing, (though likely evacuated) in Tasmania.
Australia’s current heat wave is inducing temperatures that are literally off the charts. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the unprecedented temperatures left weather forecasters having to add new colors – deep purple and pink – to their charts. And the worst may be yet to come. According to Dr. David Jones, head of The Australian Bureau of Meteorology, it is possible that temperatures may continue to rise.
So yes, these numbers are unprecedented and indeed, quite alarming, but one would be wrong to dismiss them as a singularity. In truth, what should really scare us is that these “freak” heatwaves are becoming more and more common, and it is because of climate change. Experts like James Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, are becoming increasingly comfortable in attributing extreme heatwaves and drought to climate change. Dr. Hansen argues that “for the extreme hot weather of the recent past, there is virtually no other explanation”. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has herself acknowledged that while it is difficult to attribute any one event to climate change, “we do know that over time as a result of climate change we are going to see more extreme weather events.”
The pattern is there for those who are willing to see it. The European heatwave of 2003 that caused over 40,000 premature deaths was made at least twice as likely by climate change. The Russian heatwave of 2010, that killed 50,000 and wiped out $15 billion of crops, was made three times as likely by global warming and led to the warmest European summer for 500 years. The United States and Australia have now each experienced the warmest summer on record and incredibly dangerous, climate-change inspired natural disasters (Sandy for the U.S., wildfires in Australia) in the last six months alone.
For Australia especially, the frequency and severity of wildfires are only expected to increase. In a recent assessment, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted that in southeastern Australia, the number of days when extreme fire danger threatens will increase up to 25 percent by 2020, and 70 percent by 2050. As for the rest of the world, the extreme weather forecast is even worse. Scientists believe mega-heatwaves like the ones outlined above will become five to ten times more likely over the next 40 years, occurring at least once a decade. While the dangers of climate change often seem a distant concern or set in a far-off reality, for the Land Down Under as well as the rest of us above it, the peril is here, now, and hot as hell.
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The knowledge that can save the world – Give a thought and viral it.
The world is endnagered by acclerated climate change and increased natural catstrophes. It is very evident and no body can close its eyes on it any more. It is not only earth’s climate that is unstable even human mind at individual and colleceive levels are unstable manifesting in to voilence and revolt. Nations are turning aginst nations with all the weapons of mass destruction in hand. Every thing points to a self destrcution because of ignorance. It is time we assess the knowledge on which we have founded. True knowledge should have brought peace and happiness to life at all levels. One look at the world shows that there is some thing fundamentally wrong in the knowledge on which we the modern people exist and govern our life and Nature. It is time we ask What is wrong? What we should do to correct the situation?
Common sense tells us that any system that is unilaterally heated will break down. The principle and design of earth and her functioning suggest that when environmental heat is increased unilaterally then earths environment unwinds. Earth reacts to this force by winding. We are goverend by two opposing forces – sun that heat up and and earth that cools [rain/snow]. What we have failed to note is the parallel world Design of earth that helps the system ot balance it self. When one part peaks in heat another part is expected peak in coldness. The exponentially increasing heat of the environment by human activity in a quantum world that changes constantly and his intrusion into night cycle and recekless felling of forest, is upsetting this design leading to acclerated climate change and huge destrcution from forces of nature. The earth produces the winding force to oppose the force of heat that unwinds. This is resulting in flash floods, extreem snows and cold conditions. This also is the cause for increased earth quakes. Eventually it would end in huge volcanic eruptions. Scientist are speaking this now. Watch out for yellow stone. There is hope for humanity provided he awakens to the principle and design on which earth functions and develop management of energy of earth’s environment. We also need to invent anti-gravity and a second space- time reality that opposes the material world. and space-time – A vision that Einstein strived to invent. This would being life, specailly human and his mind and his self into the picture of understanding nature. This will unite science and spiritual knowledge and take us to higer level of knowledge giving us true freedom – some one has take this message to the world. It is the product a life time research from a point of freedom after author left a lucrative career in science to enquire into nature from a point of freedom. The two fallowing article breiefly presents observations and knowledge synthesized by Grace that can help humanity understand nature and evolve into Golden age – some one should take it to the worlds attention. It has potential to make nature simple and comprehensible to all and can open simple technique and technologies that can influence every field of human interest and help him live in harmony with nature. – Will some orgnaization take it up, explore and give me a chance to explain it in detail http://www.scribd.com/doc/114273537/Climate-Change-and-Its-Relation-to-Energy
http://www.scribd.com/doc/112583263/Reinventing-Gravity-and-New-Space-Time-Reality