Climate change really screwing things up, say scientists around the world
Global warming, neither a far-off abstraction nor the myth some (still!) claim it to be, is already causing mayhem worldwide, according to the latest rash of studies on the topic. In the late 20th century, the Northern Hemisphere experienced its most sustained warm stretch in 1,200 years, report a team of U.K. scientists in the journal Science. In the medical journal The Lancet, Australian scientists warn that climate change will trigger or exacerbate health problems galore, including overheating, allergies, cholera, infectious disease, and starvation. A study by the Swiss Academy of Sciences found that 84 of 91 Swiss glaciers being monitored shrunk in 2005. And the U.N. University is predicting that in less than five years, climate change and other environmental problems may create as many as 50 million environmental refugees. So … um … basically there’s nothing funny to say about any of this.
