As anybody who's been reading the Funtrivia Quizzyland section can probably tell, I've been in a crabby mood lately and this probably has a lot to do with the weather. Right now I'm enjoying my 15th tropical storm of the season, complete with gale force winds, hail, and enough lightning to torch this computer at any time. I'm playing fast and loose with fate here. Kaboom.

What's going on? According to the paper last week, so far the Czech Republic has experienced something like 18 days of 'tropical' heat this summer (ie temperatures over 30 degrees centigrade - I forget what that is in farenheit, but its toodamhot in my opinion). we seem to veer between extreme heat and storms on a regular basis. We've set another record for heat this summer and this is a country that's been keeping track of the temperature since 1773 or thereabouts.

Is this global warming? Can anything be done about this or are we starting to pay the price for all those Chryslers out there? What's the weather like where you are and are you concerned about the situation? Just wondering.

Don't know if it is global warming or not, but here in my little part of the globe (southern US) we have had unusually cooler weather. By now we should have 100 degree days, but none at all, yet. And more rain than usual.

I'm in the Toronto area. Our winter was not too bad, really. Spring was slow getting started and we had some below normal temperatures. Summer has finally kicked in and right now we are suffering through our second heat wave so far. The temperature has been above 30 C (90 F) for the past 3 days. Fortunately there has been a bit of a breeze and it is not overly humid yet. Tomorrow the temperature is supposed to reach 36 C (about l02 F) if predictions are correct. I have a tiny little air conditioner which will not cool my entire apartment, but I count myself lucky that I have even that. At least it keeps one or two rooms cool and liveable. I feel so sad for all those who don't have at least a little one. A heat emergency was declared here today and the city has opened up "cooling centres" in public buildings so those with medical problems or older people or people who are overheated will have somewhere to go to keep cool. It is supposed to cool down a bit by Friday, but they could be wrong.

Hi Dobrov. Sorry to hear you're suffering from bizarre weather in the Czech Republic. About 3 days ago the BBC mentioned heavy rain in Central Europe *very* briefly ... Btw, 30 degrees C is about 86 degrees F. Obviously, temperatures in the sun, when you get sunshine, would be higher, much higher.

Yes Dobrov, I believe that the unusual weather being experienced all over the globe is in part due to human interference via fuel emissions into the atmosphere. However, I wouldn't call it 'global warming' but rather 'global climate change'. Despite the fact that overall global temperatures have heated up drastically over the past several decades, as June has suggested, some areas of the globe are experiencing unseasonably cold temperatures.

What will be done about this? Well, I hate to be fatalistic but I don't think much...current politics in the United States, by far the world's biggest producer of 'greenhouse gasses', seem to be leaning toward the continuance of the current absurd situation where large auto manufacturers are practically encouraged to produce large, gas guzzling vehicles, while no end to our reliance on fossil fuels seems anywhere in sight, even despite the availability of alternate technologies.

So, until people with a more proactive approach to the environment come to office in the United States...we shall have to 'weather the storm' and/or 'beat the heat'. Good luck!

Immense and threatening forest fires in a few states (US) and flooding and houses floating down rivers in other US states...Washouts in parts of the world that no one talks about much....I would have to study charts and charts to know if this is strange.

Here in northern Canada....seems rather ok. We've had rain...we've had a bit of sun...a few days of 30c...gone now...and it's actually cool and breezy and overcast tonight. Not too unusual for July!

I don't think ordinary folks can do much besides watch where they build, and build for the most extreme where they are! Then we just have to sit back and watch. We ARE spectators to Mother Nature.............different game every hand........

Bloomsby, you people are spoiled. A friend of mine from Bornemouth visited here last week and he just about died. He was the pinkest person anyone ever saw. The heat really impressed him a lot.

According to my sources (my mom - most reliable), there are forest fires in the James Bay area that are so large and out-of-control that they can smell the smoke in Montreal. None here (yet), but lots and lots of people hospitalized with heat prostration, heart attacks and severe respiratory complaints. Last week Berlin suffered from what was in effect a mini-hurricane with 156 kph winds, uprooted trees, cars hurled into walls and 6 dead.

Last week in the paper there was an interesting article about the possible long-term consequences of summers like this. They included changes in agricultural patterns, water shortages and the possibility of outbreaks of malaria (no kidding!). Yes, Jazz, I'm with you in that I do believe that something can (or could) be done, but it would involve basic changes in the way people live. I'm with you in not believing that North Americans and Europeans are willing to consider these changes at all at the moment. Can we reverse the situation? I don't know.

We just saw the major flooding up your way Dobrov, on the news as well as in Italy. We had quite a time here in the South near the Italian border as the soil erosion in heavily populated areas gives us mudslides.
The roads are under mudslides. This year we're ok here, but campgrounds in the Alps and in the South in general have been flooded, leaving holiday makers totally stranded with their trailers ruined.

Now though I too believe that Global warming or global effects are the main cause, wouldn't you also think that the fact that we see the weather world wide now on the news, and things we wouldn't have seen, that it makes it a bit worse?
I keep wondering if there aren't at least some things that man does to the environment that has improved. Think about awareness of asbestos or lead and the restrictions, or agricultural pesticides that have been outlawed.
I try very hard to see the positive effects of public awareness.

I was amazed at the power of the floodwaters on Tv last night though.

I remember being in Austria and Northern Italy one year, trying to camp, and an amazingly heavy weather pattern we were stuck under.

Dobrov,

Sorry to hear about your current surroundings. I don't know what the average temperature is supposed to be in your area this time of year, but those temps are hot wherever you are!

It's been hot and humid in New England for almost a month, but unlike you, we're still in a drought.

Mankind's effect on the environment is obvious. However, this does not just lead to "global warming". Higher levels of precipitation are attributed to the increased sea levels altered by the melting of the polar ice caps. This combined with the increased levels of CO2 has had the greatest effect on vegitation.

Something outside man's control that I've also heard and read about, is the changing of the Earth's orbit. This is normal! During the last Ice Age the planet was following an oval, or egg shaped path. This carried Earth farther away from the sun, thus leading to colder temperatures. What is happening now, is that the orbit is taking on a more circular shape, which is bringing us closer to our star. This will have a much larger effect than anything man-made. Still, if anything, we are quickening the negative effects of this phenomenon.

I'd like to see more research done into discovering/enhancing alternative and renewable sources of energy. This will be inevitable anyway, it's just that I'm getting tired of lining OPEC's and GM's pockets (among others').

This topic was recently covered in the July 6th issue of "The Economist". I'm still reading the survey, but the problem is a lack of info on the environment, combined with most people being too far on one side or the other. Human development is not always a bad thing, nor should it snub the environment in the process.