Maintaining a healthy perspective…

…is important. We shouldn’t get carried away by media scare stories and politically motivated exaggerations. It’s important that at least some people resist the temptation to get swept away on a tide of near-hysteria about the World’s ever-changing climate. So here is a short summary of some things which have happened so far this year, to help us see things in their proper perspective:

• 3 million people in India were displaced or evacuated this year because of excessive flooding.
• more than 1 million were affected by severe flooding in North Korea.
• North Korea faces a shortfall of food supplies for 2008 which amount to about 20% of the country’s needs.
• 18 countries in Africa were hit by flooding, over a million people effected.
• 150,000 people in Uganda alone still have had no relief supplies; their needs are being serviced by two helicopters and one boat.
• 48% of the contiguous USA is currently experiencing drought conditions; in the South east of the country, 78% of the area is affected.
• World wheat stocks are expected to be at their lowest level in thirty years this December, with only 53 days supply in store. Prices hit a record high earlier this year and will probably rise again. Production on Australia, the EU and Asia were affected by adverse weather this year.
• Arctic sea ice levels fell to a level at least 23% below the previous lowest in recent times.
• Rainforest loss continues at the same pace as it has for years, with no sign of a slowdown.
• global emissions of CO2 are still rising at a rate of between 1-2% per year.
• thousands of people in China, Korea, Bangladesh and other countries have lost their lives or their livings due to extreme weather conditions.
• crude oil prices touched $90 a barrel for a short time.
• in the past year, the whole of the Arctic showed a warming trend in air temperatures; this is also a first.

On the other hand:

• the Colorado Rockies are in the World Series.
• England and South Africa will face off on Saturday night to decide which is the best Rugby team in the World .
• Uma Thurman has boobs.
• ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ allegedly isn’t a science lecture.
• it isn’t raining here.

Everything is about perspective…