The papers have been full of Global warming threats
for the past year, but now it is really hitting home,
and hitting us in the stomach. Disruptions in the
Jet Stream due to human-induced carbon dioxide
rises have
led to increased wet weather. The warmer atmosphere
can hold more water vapour and this results in a
greater volume of rain per shower, increasing the
severity
of floods. A local workplace canteen has posted the
following message :
"With effect from Monday, August 13th, there
will be an increase in the prices of fruit & vegetables
in all the restaurants and cafes across the company
estate. There may also be shortages of some products
over the following months. This is due to the recent
floods causing severe damage to the UK crops."
"It has been estimated that 70% of the crop has
been destroyed, with thousands of acres of produce
rotting in the ground. As reported in the Times on
July 4th, planting new crops cannot take place until
the water has drained. In some cases this could be
up to three months."
"Unfortunately this means that we are currently
experiencing both price rises & shortages of fruit
and vegetables."
This is not a one-off, freak event, but something we
will have to get used to in future years - our climate
will suffer more frequent incidents of extremes of
weather, leading to frequent ruined harvests. Perhaps
hitting the belly will focus our minds. We can't go
on complacently waiting for this to get worse. We must
take action now to limit the damage and preserve our
quality of life.
