Europe is already getting heated up, and drought conditions are prevailing across the continent as April was one of the driest months in history! This summer may see huge fires and crop failures in Europe! I think after this summer NOBODY'S gonna deny Global Warming (in Europe anyway) By Jeremy Lovell LONDON (Reuters) - This month is set to be the warmest April in Britain since records began nearly 350 years ago and all over Europe tourists are slapping on the sun cream several weeks ahead of schedule. Britain's Met Office said the average temperature in central England from April 1-25 was 11.1 degrees Celsius, 3.4 degrees above the norm and the highest since records began in 1659. Temperatures from Belgium to Italy are averaging more than three degrees above the 30-year norm. The office added there was a big chance of a repeat of the European heat wave of 2003 which killed some 35,000 people and which scientists attributed to global warming. As the spring rain stayed away, sidewalk cafes and outdoor leisure parks across Europe reported booming business but grain crops are showing signs of drought stress. In the Netherlands, the KNMI weather institute said this month had already broken records as the warmest, driest and sunniest April and noted global warming was one of the reasons. The Netherlands has not had rain since March 22 and April is set to be the driest in at least 100 years. Farmers have started pumping water from canals and rivers to irrigate their crops. Germany has also recorded the highest April average temperature at 12 degrees, and the most hours of sunshine at more than 276, since records began in 1901, according to preliminary estimates by the German Weather Service (DWD). The lack of rainfall prompted several German states to issue warnings about the risk of forest fires which have hit neighbors Switzerland and Austria. Drought has hit Hungary's key grain regions and may severely reduce grain and oilseed crops, leading trading firm Agrograin said. "In mid-April the average temperature was 5-6 degrees Celsius higher than usual," said meteorologist Gyorgy Gyuro. Italy's river Po, which waters the region accounting for one-third of the country's agricultural production, fell on Sunday to 6.53 meters (21 ft 5 in) below its normal level at one control point, having fallen 80 centimeters in a week. Britain's Met Office said there was a one in eight chance of temperatures in the three summer months -- July, August and September -- repeating the 2003 and 2006 heat waves. "In meteorological terms that is really quite a high probability," a spokesman said. On Friday, Britain's Department of the Environment warned of summer smog at the weekend with high ozone levels endangering the ill and elderly. But in contrast to 2006, Britain was at least not facing a drought after a mild and very wet winter. In Germany, one newspaper said soaring temperatures could inflame libidos. "Skirts are getting shorter and there is more bare flesh flashing," Germany's biggest selling newspaper, Bild, wrote, warning Germans to keep a close eye on their partners. "The heat excites the sex hormones much more strongly, disturbs the sleep and stimulates lust."
Weather Forecast: a hot dry summer and a prolonged spell of baby-making? Nah, why is most everything, warming spells, cooling spells, hurricanes, drought, all taken as "evidence" of "global warming?" No, it's evidence of changing weather, which is normal for the weather. Because of weather, people live in homes, rather than on grassy fields. This happens, oh, about every other year. We get a mild summer, and then a hot summer, hotness being normal for summer, and it is branded as "unusual" or something. But I have to laugh at the part near the end of the article, about it inflaming people's libidos. Europe doesn't have enough babies as it is. Somebody once joked to me about supposed "global warming," that it could lead to people wearing less clothes, which of course might lead to more baby-making. More fellow human beings coming to life. Why is this considered "bad" again?
Warm weather may result in more nakedness (esp in places like Germany & the Netherlands) and libido, but unfortunately warm weather does little for sperm production... I understand fertility is down in the heat...
its more like saporting evidence, it was proposed a long time ago when people started seeing evidence that it happens and we where due. the real evidence began in the 70's with a constinuois and dramatic increase in the free carbons in the atmosphere. regardless of popular belief, most of those who make a living studieing this stuff are not saying we are causeing it, but speeding it up
Enviro-Canada was saying it was one of the hottest Aprils on record here. Yet I was freezing all April because of how cold it was.
There was a very interesting debate on subject between two scientists on Radio National last night. It is still available for download for a few days. NB use Realplayer not the M$ one.The basic free version will do. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/latenightlive/ BTW Skip did you ever listen to Radio National when you were downunder?
I'm not so sure about that. Isn't human population the largest and densest, closer to the equator, and extremely sparse near the poles of the planet? Isn't it well known that Mexico has a higher birthrate than the U.S.? But then maybe Mexico is more "traditionally Catholic" and not quite as modern-corrupted as we, opting for other forms of corruption instead?
What's this, a German paper is proclaiming that global warming may promote more screwing? Whoa, I certainly never heard of that one. Look Pron the Mexican birth rate is higher because on the whole mexicans are poorer than citizens of the USA. This is true when looking at other parts of the world. In addition, countries with more socialists governments, therefore, more of a social safety net have as a whole lower birth rates.(ie....most of Europe). However, if global warming also has as a side benefit that people will spent more quality time together copulating, then I say go warming!
If as a side benefit, more people become alive to enjoy copulating, well there's yet another reason to go procreating. Yeah, kind of hard to enjoy copulating, with 3 winter coats on to keep from freezing. They say of poor people that children are their only wealth, and their "old age security," BTW. Then conversely, more wealth equals maybe more distractions away from the wonderful blessings of children, but not necessarily. People could get smart and see that children are quite worthwhile, even in seemingly "richer" moneywise, cultures.
in new zealand some deny it... Global warming debunked By ANDREW SWALLOW - The Timaru Herald | Saturday, 19 May 2007 Climate change will be considered a joke in five years time, meteorologist Augie Auer told the annual meeting of Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers in Ashburton this week. Man's contribution to the greenhouse gases was so small we couldn't change the climate if we tried, he maintained. "We're all going to survive this. It's all going to be a joke in five years," he said. A combination of misinterpreted and misguided science, media hype, and political spin had created the current hysteria and it was time to put a stop to it. "It is time to attack the myth of global warming," he said. Water vapour was responsible for 95 per cent of the greenhouse effect, an effect which was vital to keep the world warm, he explained. "If we didn't have the greenhouse effect the planet would be at minus 18 deg C but because we do have the greenhouse effect it is plus 15 deg C, all the time." The other greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen dioxide, and various others including CFCs, contributed only five per cent of the effect, carbon dioxide being by far the greatest contributor at 3.6 per cent. However, carbon dioxide as a result of man's activities was only 3.2 per cent of that, hence only 0.12 per cent of the greenhouse gases in total. Human-related methane, nitrogen dioxide and CFCs etc made similarly minuscule contributions to the effect: 0.066, 0.047 and 0.046 per cent respectively. "That ought to be the end of the argument, there and then," he said. "We couldn't do it (change the climate) even if we wanted to because water vapour dominates." Yet the Greens continued to use phrases such as "The planet is groaning under the weight of CO2" and Government policies were about to hit industries such as farming, he warned. "The Greens are really going to go after you because you put out 49 per cent of the countries emissions. Does anybody ask 49 per cent of what? Does anybody know how small that number is? "It's become a witch-hunt; a Salem witch-hunt," he said.
