Meteorologist Rich Apuzzo sees deadly and destructive cold in many parts of the world and fears the human cost of more of the same as the months go by:

From the BBC: “Almost 250 children under the age of five have died in a wave of intensely cold weather in Peru”. “This year, freezing temperatures have arrived almost 3 months earlier than usual.” From CBC news: “Temperatures dropped to a record low in Prince Edward Island overnight Tuesday (July 7th into July 8th) with reports of frost throughout the province (in southeast Canada).” “…a meteorologist with Environment Canada said that to his knowledge, frost has never been reported before in July in Prince Edward Island.”

There have been individual record cold days in Chicago and Central Park, New York and New Zealand had the coldest May on record. In addition, the Potato Famine disease (Late Blight) is striking potato and tomato plants from Maine to Ohio and it’s threatening commercial and organic farms according to Reuters news, and according to Meg McGrath, a plant pathologist at Cornell University’s extension center in New York, “Late Blight has never occurred this early and this widespread in the United States.” The destructive disease can spread rapidly in cool, moist weather, infecting an entire field within days. The bottom line, which is causing me increasing concern every day, is that we’re seeing much colder weather in both hemispheres and its effects on humans and agriculture.

I can only guess that the decision by the G8 leaders a few days ago to prevent the Earth’s temperature from rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius must have fallen somewhat ironically on the ears of many Peruvians. But never mind.

The unusually cold temps this year have been predicted by some, based on very low sun-spot activity. But I don’t doubt that the decisions of G8 leaders are far more consequential for the Earth’s climate than anything which that relatively ordinary star 93 million miles away from us can do.

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