Russian Scholars Say Global Warming Promises More Natural Calamities

Global warming can be a cause of more frequently occurring natural calamities on Earth
Academician Yury Israel, Director of the Global Climate and Environmental Institute of the Hydro-Meteorological and Environment Monitoring Committee of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said this to reporters on Wednesday.

“Global warming triggers an increase in natural calamities - floods, droughts and earthquakes," said Mr. Israel.

Studies of nature have revealed that average air temperatures have gone up by 0.6 degrees over the past century, and people can already feel the consequences.

Yet, he was not certain that recent floods in Europe and Russia are a direct result of climate change. He said it was too early to draw such a conclusion. This is also the reason why experts cannot thus far predict calamities.

Warming can have both a positive and an adverse effect on the Russian economy, according to the scholar. It will send heating costs down and prolong the agricultural season, which are on the plus side.

On the minus side is that 55% of Russia's territory is permanently frozen soil. If it starts melting, it will ruin all the buildings and pipelines nearby, said the academician.

The impact of climate change on people's lives needs thorough study and discussion, emphasized Mr. Israel.