Global warning: 'furious' climate changes predicted

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says that climate change is already altering the frequency and intensity of natural disasters.

A report from the group warns that the continuing growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is likely to result in an increase in the intensity of rainstorms, droughts, tropical cyclones, and other extreme weather events.

While few places in the world will be spared from climatic disruptions, the Southern Hemisphere will suffer most, with less infrastructure to meet the human and ecological demands these disasters create.

Pier Vellinga, Professor of Environmental Studies and leading climatologist at the University of Amsterdam, said: "The intensity of extreme weather events will affect different parts of the world differently.

"Climate change brings about a global redistribution of the costs and benefits of the weather. We should have no doubt that the costs will be much greater than the benefits."

The report documents the worldwide fluctuation in weather events over recent decades and predicts future trends.

These include a probable increase in the frequency of El Nino conditions, with shorter and stronger La Ninas.

The likely result of this would be more frequent heavy rains and storms interspersed with short dry spells in some regions, and more prolonged droughts punctuated by heavy rain years in other parts of the world.

During summer months, southern Europe is expected to become drier while northern Europe will probably get wetter.

The report says the effects of climate change are already visible around the globe, resulting in a dramatic increase in economic damage from extreme weather events over the past decades.

Last updated: 01:29 Friday 29th September 2000.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_70706.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), September 28, 2000