Earth blazes into the next millennium

Patrick Bond pbond at wn.apc.org
Wed Aug 12 00:16:17 PDT 1998


Hmmm, Southern Africa marginalised by globalisation once again.

Our weather's been fine and mild. The feared El Nino drought gave us a miss, and winter (on at present) finds us sunny and 70 degrees F every day -- as usual.


> 1. AUSTRALIA: Warmer sea temperatures and
> freshwater run-off from torrential inland storms
> trigger widespread destruction of Queensland's
> coral reef.
>
> 2. AMERICA: Moist mild winter triggers a
> spring and summer invasion of grasshoppers in
> Nevada and Arizona covering roads and causing
> car crashes. Texas, Florida, Oklahoma and
> southern states endure scorching heat.
> Temperatures in Dallas 37.6C (100F) for a
> month.
>
> 3. CHINA: Howling, cyclonic dust storms in
> April ripped up trees, knock out power supplies
> and send rocks flying through windows in
> Xinijang province. In Mongolia, 9,000 cattle are
> killed and 1,000 people made homeless.
> Yangtze River highest for nearly 50 years.
> Million people made homeless.
>
> 4. TURKEY: Record-breaking 43C (109.4F) on
> July 3 in Antalya. Average is 34C (93.2F).
> Ankara 37C (98.6F) on July 25, seven degrees
> above average.
>
> 5. MALTA: Record-breaking 41.2C (106.2F)
> Average is 29C (84.2F).
>
> 6. KUWAIT: Record-breaking 49.4C (120.9F)
> on August 2.
>
> 7. RUSSIA: Record-breaking 37.2C (99F) in
> Penza, 300 miles southeast of Moscow.
>
> 8. SYRIA: Damascus hits 38C (100.4F) on July
> 31, followed by record overnight low of 11C
> (51.8F).
>
> 9. CYPRUS: Forest fires and record-breaking
> heatwave. Temperatures over 40C (104F). Fifty
> dead from heatstroke.
>
> 10. INDONESIA: More than 1,000 forest fires
> cover hundreds of thousands of hectares in
> Borneo. Flare ups in Sarawak.
>
> 11. GREECE: Forest fires threaten Mount
> Olympus.
>
> 12. BRAZIL: Forest and grassland fires in
> Roraima 250 miles long destroy one million
> hectares.
>
> 13. BANGLADESH: Two-thirds of country hit
> by floods in July, 10 million people affected.
>
> 14. CENTRAL EUROPE: Floods hit Poland,
> Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria.
> More than 100 dead. Doctors call for urgent
> medical supplies.
>
> 15. SRI LANKA: Floods leave 12,500
> homeless.
>
> 16. INDIA: Delhi has record breaking 46.5C
> (115.7F) in May. Hottest for 50 years.
>
> 17. NEW ZEALAND: A one in a century flood
> hits the North Island as 70mm rain falls on a
> single night in July.
>
>
> Nick Nuttall , The London Times



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