Weather forecast

We were standing in a line during our Christmas shopping waiting for our tour to pay and I was listening to a conversation from people standing behind us:

A said: “The weather is incredibly nice. It is surprising not to have snow yet”

B answered: “It is probably due to the climate change and greenhouse emission”

Any slight change in weather is more and more attributed to the global warming and greenhouse emission. It’s difficult not to refrain a connection between both. That is true, though I think some people are sometimes extremist in their conclusions.

Exceptional seasons have ever exist. If you talk with the older people, they will tell you some stories about warm winters or summers they have had during last century.

However, it is true that the modernization has dramatically accelerated and side effects appeared by end of last century with the emission of greenhouse gas responsible of the ozone layer depletion.

The United Nation Conference on Climate Change that will be held in Copenhagen from December 7^th to 18^th is one of the most important summit after Kyoto where countries will stop to talk but will have to commit to fight against global warning and to give their objectives in term of CO₂ and greenhouse emission reduction and plan to achieve it. More than 100 countries will participate, amongst them India, the fifth most polluted after Russia.

A key question debated will be the financial support to be given to the developing countries to reduce their emission as they do not accept to pay on their own for activities that essentially profit to developed countries.

So, saying that we can see that it is a complex topic that has political implications. However, to me, I think everybody is concerned and should do something as his own level. For example, reduce the car use as soon it is possible, buy local products that have not required long and high CO₂ emission shipment, reduce air conditioning use, save water…

Northern countries, like Denmark, or Finland are well advanced on global warming and know how to wrestle with it. We should look at what has been done there and draw some inspiration from their accomplishments.