moscow tops 38 degrees - C!

The heatwave in Russia and Finland has broken many records. Both Finland and Moscow have broken their all time temperature records, and this heatwave has been going on for a month.

Back in February Bristol had a cold snap with plenty of snow.

This local weather event, hardly unusual for February, brought out a magnificent rant from 'John of Whitchurch' who very boldly asserted that because it was snowing (in February) there couldn't be global warming!

So where is John of Whitchurch now? Surely the heatwave in Russia just as obviously proves the existence of global warming as the cold snap in the UK disproved it? Or does he have different parameters when things go against him?

Frankly, the man is a twat. NOBODY claims that global warming isn't happening, the only argument is that it is difficult to ascertain how much of it is due to human activity. And the point of global warming is in the name - GLOBAL warming. Local weather events mean nothing, it's the global mean temperature (which nobody disputes is rising) that is the important thing.

So is the heatwave in Russia and Finland proof of global warming? Or course not, no single weather event proves anything - except that John of Whitchurch is a left wing wanker supreme!

norway and forest fires

Norway has a generally wet climate, far wetter than the UK on the western side, but just look at this weather warning map from Meteoalarm Europe. Red is, of course, the highest warning level. The whole of southern Norway is under threat of forest fires. This was a prediction for climate change but again it's surprising to see it happen so fast. Finland was on forest fire alert throughout much of April.