Thursday, September 19, 2024

WILDFIRES AND FLOODS: FASTER CLIMATE ACTION NEEDED



The devastating wildfires raging across Portugal this week and the catastrophic floods in central Europe are just two more examples of the global crisis that will be discussed during the upcoming ‘New York Climate Week’.

Thousands of Portuguese firefighters, with many reinforcements from Spain and Morocco, plus water bombers from Italy and France, have been stretched beyond their limits. Seven firefighters have been killed, more than 50 injured, and many people forced to flee from their homes because of around 100 different fires in the north of the country. 

Flooding in central Europe, like the wildfires in Portugal, is an annual, problem generated by exceptionally heavy rains. Storm Boris and extreme humidity have been the main culprits this year. Floods that started in Austria and the Czech Republic spread to Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and later to Germany, Hungary, and Italy. It has been the worst flooding in the region in at least 20 years. Many people have drowned. Huge numbers have been forced to evacuate their swamped homes and businesses. 

All this is of profound concern to the United Nations General Assembly. UN Secretary-General and former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres says he has no doubt these events are linked to the escalating climate crisis. The next major UN conference on climate change will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November. The focus is expected to be on securing the trillions of dollars required for countries to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect people from the worsening impacts of climate change.

The New York Climate Week starts next Monday. It is one of the biggest annual events of its kind. Top scientific and political climate specialists are expected to attend. It is a charity event to promote action by appealing to business leaders, political changemakers, local decision takers, and civil society officials. 

This special week is run by a non-profit organisation with a mission to accelerate climate action, and achieve a world on net zero carbon emissions by 2050, ensuring great prosperity for all.

The organisation and its members are helping to shift global markets and policies towards faster reductions in carbon emissions.


Written by Len Port.

Edited by Catriona Anderson 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If Len Port would do some research into facts from scientists and researchers (link below) who have not been bought and paid for by vested interests, such as the United Nations (Follow The Money), rather than just rehashing doom laden stories he might just be taken as a rational commentator.
Closer to home, regarding the fires in Portugal, I notice Mr Port makes no mention of one of the major causes of wildfires in the countries afflicted by this problem, arson, which is nothing to do with the weather or any type of emissions, just in case Mr Port hadn’t noticed it gets hot and dry in Portugal, Spain, Greece, etc, etc, in the summer and always has done and if arsonist go around lighting fires there is obviously going to be a problem.
I personally have experience of the arson problem, during in the 2018 fires in the Algarve, one evening just as it went dark myself and some of my neighbours were looking down from Foia towards the land area between Portimao and Lagos and watched in amazement as fires started breaking out below us, not one fire but six in total, in a line West to East over a period of 30 minutes and spaced a similar distance apart.
One of my neighbours was also involved in the apprehension of the barman from the coast who drove up the road from Portimao to Monchique lighting fires on the way up and who was apprehended on Foia whilst in the act of lighting another fire, we were told he had been sent to prison but has since been released, there appears to be a lack of rationality in that action.
Mr Port should do some research on all the hype in the 1980s about the Maldives being under water in 20 years’ time, well I’ve got news for Mr Port, they aren’t and the population has increased and the Velena International Airport built in 2018 is being expanded and the authorities are building new airports on 5 different islands, (link below).
According to Mr Port’s doomsday theories they must all be for seaplanes.
https://avas.mv/en/140052
https://www.airport-technology.com/projects/velena-international-airport-expansion/
Have a look at a few more of the false scare stories Mr Port and his ilk have been pushing for years and just decide for yourself how many have actually come true.
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2024/09/17/shrinking-island-vanishing-polar-bears-the-climate-scare-stories-that-turn-out-to-be-false/