Europe has its hottest summer on records while Japan (and possibly the rest of north Asia) has the opposite. A massive Arctic ice shelf has just broken in two, draining all the water from the freshwater lake it dammed, and now there is news from the other end of the planet which suggests that there may be a permanent drought in Australia. The latter appears to be as a result of a vortex of winds around the Antarctic that are pulling climate bands south and dragging rain from Australia into the Southern Ocean. As one of the top agricultural supply nations, Australia has reasons to worry about its worst drought in 100 years turning into a permanent nightmare.
What beats me is that I don't get the sense that there is a loud debate going on about this dramatic and clear change in our climate. Burying our heads in the sand is not going to make this one go away. I wish the Beeb would give this more prominent coverage for a start.
Posted by Joe at September 24, 2003 10:12 AM