As the UK comes to terms with its worst floods in half a century, a new scientific study will this week attribute the recent torrential rainfall to global warming.
Last night, large areas around Gloucestershire and Worcestershire were still under water after Friday’s deluge, leaving thousands in temporary accommodation in what The Independent today calls “one of the biggest civil emergencies Britain has seen”.
And the report, which was carried out by a number of national climate research institutes including the Met Office, is expected to argue that the intensifying rainstorms across parts of the northern hemisphere are indeed being caused by man-made global warming.
Some national newspapers over the weekend suggested that the floods were just another example of “a typical British summer”. There is also considerable scepticism among meteorologists over whether one specific event can be attributed to climate change – and the study, embargoed until its publication in the journal Nature on Wednesday, is not expected to contradict this position.
But United Nations Meteorologists, speaking over the weekend, called for an open mind.
“It would be wrong to deny the possible impact of climate change on flooding because if we (waited for more) statistical proof it may be too late,” said Wolfgang Grabs at the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation.
The news reporters love to blame global warning for everything these days it seems. These floods are the first bad ones in many years in the UK whereas America has tornados, hurricains, bush fires every year.
Nobody likes to have these weather situations no matter where they live but to blame it on man made global warning or any global warning,ozone layer etc is just so wrong.
Comment by Michelle — July 23, 2007 @ 9:08 pm
While I agree, Michelle, we also have to be prepared for the possibility that this IS linked to human-influenced global warming also. We can’t wait until it is proven beyond doubt before we start to act and to not do so would be madness.
Comment by Chris — July 24, 2007 @ 8:59 am
“English summer rain, seems to last forever”
Comment by Jay — July 24, 2007 @ 7:22 pm
Hey, i am going to move to London! Hope it won’t get as bad there.
Comment by Timmy — July 24, 2007 @ 7:29 pm
Your report begins:
“…a new scientific study will this week attribute the recent torrential rainfall to global warming.”
Three paragraphs later, you state: “There is … considerable scepticism among meteorologists over whether one specific event can be attributed to climate change – and the study … is not expected to contradict this position.”
Well, which is it?
It’s quite clear to me that the “open mind” that the UN panel advocates is not a quality possessed by the writer of this mendacious and willfully misleading article.
Seriously: reporting like this does more damage to the climate change argument than any number of mobiles left on standby.
Comment by Ross — July 25, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
One specific event - like, say, a hurricane, or a downpour over a period of a couple of days - is difficult and perhaps spurious to attribute to global warming. But a summer of torrential rain across the northern hemisphere is not.
I think this is pretty clear.
Comment by Jo — July 25, 2007 @ 8:13 pm
I think we all have short memories, and are led into panic by these things, by the media, bad news sells.What happened to the W2K bug, great drama! No one knows about global warming, so we should act, but please have an open mind.
Comment by Barrie — July 26, 2007 @ 10:44 am
I think this flooding is caused by climate change.
I have just had a book published on climate change and in reviewing the science I noted that we would expect such events in the summer in Europe.
I have posted a free extract here http://www.science-com.concatenation.org/archive/uk_floods_climate_change.html
Comment by Jonathan Cowie — August 1, 2007 @ 3:33 pm