Last winter with all of the severe snowstorms all ove the world, climate scientists noted and predicted a record rise in global temperatures. The climate change deniers at that time flooded the newspaper columns and blogs with skepticism about warming trends based on local weather. Right-wing political voices in the media backed by corporations and conservative foundations, have managed to obscure the truth on issues that range from the dangers of smoking to global warming. Climate scientist predicted the increased storm intensity that is now playing out world-wide. The nonsense and confusion that the climate change deniers spread slows down efforts to address these problems before they reach crisis proportions.
Life can be hard in Moscow. The Russian capital is sweltering in temperatures that reached a record 37.7C last week. Vast stretches of peat bog surrounding the city have dried out and caught fire covering Moscow with choking smog. The changing of the horse guard in Cathedral Square was cancelled as sentries wilted in traditional woollen uniforms. Elsewhere, more than 2,000 Russians – many drunk – drowned trying to cool off in lakes and rivers and at least 10 million hectares of crops have been ruined. States of emergency have been declared in 23 regions.
Nor is Russia alone. New York has baked in a thick tropical heat and humidity that is gripping eastern America. Public cooling centres have been set up while black-outs are common. In the Arctic, sea ice coverage continues to dwindle while a report last week revealed that levels of phytoplankton – tiny marine plants that are the foundation of the oceans' food chain – are plummeting, victims of global warming.
Our world is starting to sizzle as rising levels of greenhouse gases trap more and more of the sun's heat in the lower atmosphere – a point that was confirmed on Wednesday when the Met Office reported that sensors from around the world were showing that 2010 would be the hottest, or just possibly the second hottest year on record.
A dark ideology is driving those who deny climate change