Russian wake up call on global warming

[Chris]

Russians are not used to heat waves. When the high temperatures that have overwhelmed Russia over the past six weeks first arrived in June, some 1,200 Russians drowned at the country's beaches. "The majority of those who drowned were drunk," the Emergencies Ministry concluded in mid-July, citing the Russian habit of taking vodka to cool off by the sea. But while overconsumption of vodka is a familiar scourge in Russia, extreme heat is not, and as the worst heat wave on record spawns wildfires that are destroying entire villages, Russian officials have made what for them is a startling admission: global warming is very real.

At a meeting of international sporting officials in Moscow on July 30, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev announced that in 14 regions of the country, "practically everything is burning. The weather is anomalously hot." Then, as TV cameras zoomed in on the perspiration shining on his forehead, Medvedev announced, "What's happening with the planet's climate right now needs to be a wake-up call to all of us, meaning all heads of state, all heads of social organizations, in order to take a more energetic approach to countering the global changes to the climate."

Read more: Has Russia's Heat Wave Changed Stance on Climate Change? - TIME

 

[westwall]

This is old hat now Chris. No one seems to care. It's sad about the fires for sure but that is natural because there was SO MUCH SNOW due to the EXCEPTIONALLY COLD WINTER that there was tons more fuel to burn.

It is a natural and exceptionally predictable cycle. I suggest you look at the history of California and Australian wildfires. they are very well researched and they allways say two things. After a heavy winter the summer will be very dangerous due to more fuel. Then after the fires have burned everything out the mudslides follow.

Los Angeles is particularly prone to landslides after wildfires because the San Gabrial Mountains are beyond the angle of repose so mass wasting ensues at a prodigous rate when the rains come.

I suggest you read John McPhee's "The Control of Nature" for an excellent description of the geologic processes involved that is very readable by the layman.

 

[Chris]

MOSCOW, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Russian authorities and firefighters are continuing their fierce battle against rampant wildfires that have shrouded Moscow in choking smog and thrown nuclear facilities into danger.

As the confirmed death toll rose to 48 in the deadliest outbreak of wildfires in nearly four decades, President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday cut short his traditional summer holiday in the southern resort of Sochi and returned to Moscow to supervise the fire-fighting efforts.

Visibility stood at merely 300 meters in the early morning in central Moscow, as thick clouds of pungent smoke from nearby forests and peat bog fires engulfed the capital overnight and raised local pollution indicators to critical levels.

Municipal authorities and health experts have urged local residents to take preventative measures, such as wearing face masks when going out.

With the capital besieged by eye-stinging smog, Medvedev chaired an emergency meeting of the national security council that solely focused on the week-old wildfire crisis.

Russia continues frantic fight against perilous wildfires

 

[Old Rocks]

This is old hat now Chris. No one seems to care. It's sad about the fires for sure but that is natural because there was SO MUCH SNOW due to the EXCEPTIONALLY COLD WINTER that there was tons more fuel to burn.

It is a natural and exceptionally predictable cycle. I suggest you look at the history of California and Australian wildfires. they are very well researched and they allways say two things. After a heavy winter the summer will be very dangerous due to more fuel. Then after the fires have burned everything out the mudslides follow.

Los Angeles is particularly prone to landslides after wildfires because the San Gabrial Mountains are beyond the angle of repose so mass wasting ensues at a prodigous rate when the rains come.

I suggest you read John McPhee's "The Control of Nature" for an excellent description of the geologic processes involved that is very readable by the layman.

Once again, ol' Walleyes is proving himself to be a fool.

Crop failure causes grain market panic : Voice of Russia

Russia’s ongoing drought and record heat have substantially altered prospects for the harvest, which, in its turn, will result in skyrocketing grain prices. In the last few weeks, their growth reached a record rate, accounting for some 40 percent. Still, “there are no fundamental bases for the price rally on the market”, says Russian Grain Union President Arkady Zlochevsky.

At present, the world grain market is struck with panic, with growth rates exceeding those of 2007-2008. During that season, the global deficit of grain caused the plummeting of its reserves to the lowest-ever level. However, the current situation differs dramatically from what we witnessed two and a half years ago, the expert stressed and continued:

"Russia’s 2007-08 season grain pool never dropped below 130 million tons, while the volume of world trade totaled 143 million tons. This contrast was exactly what provoked exchange market excitement. According to latest estimates by the International Grains Council (IGC), forecast reserves will reach the level of 192 million tons and the world trade volume is expected to account for 120 million tons - an unprecedented 60-million-ton difference."

 

[Old Rocks]

Wheat Goes Up, Prices to Follow - WSJ.com

CHICAGO—Wheat futures' eight-week rally regained steam on Wednesday by surging 6.7% to above $7.25 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade, their highest since September 2008.

This brings gains for the grain to 71% from a June low, despite Tuesday's small dip. Not only has the scale of the price surge—fueled by widespread crop failures in Russia—taken traders and analysts aback, it has also prompted a range of companies, including breadmakers and owners of pizza chains, to voice cost concerns.

 

[Old Rocks]

GRAINS-Wheat hits 22-month highs on Black Sea woes

Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures rose nearly 5 percent, touching $7.18-3/4 per bushel, the highest price since September 2008, as the worst drought in 130 years spurred a round of buying from traders.

CBOT corn and soybean futures also gained, following the rise in wheat prices.

"You've got the speculative sector heavily invested in this rally and they are going to defend those positions in the short term rather than turn around and liquidate them," said Shawn McCambridge, analyst at Prudential Bache Commodities in Chicago.

"You have to keep this market well fed with news and that's what it's getting right now," he said.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization on Wednesday chopped 25 million tonnes from its last global wheat estimate in June before the drought.

The FAO said the drought will reduce wheat output in Kazakhstan and Ukraine after planting troubles cut acreage in Canada, bringing world wheat supplies to 651 million tonnes.

The drought may also put at risk next year's winter grain crop, said the head of the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies (IKAR) analysts.

"If there are not heavy rains in the next two weeks, the winter sowing is a big question," Dmitry Rylko told Reuters Insider television Wednesday.world wheat trade, with key exporters such as Australia and the United States gaining market share as drought-stricken countries reap smaller crops. Traders said some Black Sea shipments to Asia had already been held up.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Yawn.

It's hot! In the summertime!

Go tell China to stop burning so much coal

 

[westwall]

I agree, Yawn. You would think these people live in a bubble and have never read a single book on history. Wheat prices were 2.45 a bushel in 1920, that calculates out to 17.15 a bushel at todays prices. The bottom link shows the prices as of last week.

You alarmists are boring. Try finding something that is actually worse than has occured in the past someday.

Wheat Prices

Wheat Market Review

 

[Chris]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAd2sA6rZfs]YouTube - ‪Video of smoke-veiled Moscow with sun choked out of sight‬‎[/ame]

 

[Chris]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjhVv6AlxwE]YouTube - ‪Russian Drought Impacting On Farmland and Crops‬‎[/ame]

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Another Central Planning success story. Go check the farms in CA that Libs have cut off the water supply, looks the exact same

 

[westwall]

Another Central Planning success story. Go check the farms in CA that Libs have cut off the water supply, looks the exact same

Yep! I also love how they have no memory. 8 bucks a bushel? BIG DEAL! back in the 1920s the wheat prices hit the equivalent of 17.15 a bushel! This is nothing.

 

[rdean]

This is old hat now Chris. No one seems to care. It's sad about the fires for sure but that is natural because there was SO MUCH SNOW due to the EXCEPTIONALLY COLD WINTER that there was tons more fuel to burn.

It is a natural and exceptionally predictable cycle. I suggest you look at the history of California and Australian wildfires. they are very well researched and they allways say two things. After a heavy winter the summer will be very dangerous due to more fuel. Then after the fires have burned everything out the mudslides follow.

Los Angeles is particularly prone to landslides after wildfires because the San Gabrial Mountains are beyond the angle of repose so mass wasting ensues at a prodigous rate when the rains come.

I suggest you read John McPhee's "The Control of Nature" for an excellent description of the geologic processes involved that is very readable by the layman.

The only reason there is "SO MUCH SNOW" is because there is "SO MUCH HUMIDITY".

Humidity comes from the evaporation of water from heated oceans which have no ice cover.

They have no ice cover because of "EXTREME HEAT", which of course, leads to "SO MUCH SNOW".

Funny how that works out.

The right believes that "evaporation" is "just a theory". They believe "Snow" is actually "intelligently created" from "cold". And this is why we have so few Republican Scientists.

 

[rdean]

Forest and peat bog fires have burned hundreds of homes, leaving thousands homeless in the hottest summer since records began 130 years ago, prompting leaders to declare a state of emergency in seven of the worst-hit regions.

Russia fires pose nuclear threat, death toll hits 50 | Reuters

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Maybe the Russian need to find a way to harvest all that melting Arctic ice?

 

[rdean]

Maybe the Russian need to find a way to harvest all that melting Arctic ice?

Maybe the fires because all the ice has already melted?

 

[Chris]

Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- The Moscow skyline of the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral vanished Friday as a blanket of thick, noxious smoke shrouded the metropolis, leaving many of the city's 10 million residents with sore throats and burning eyes.

On Friday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited a Moscow ambulance station, accompanied by top health officials. He was told that the number of emergency calls has increased by about 10 percent lately, related to the heat and smog.

The acrid smoke, from thousands of square miles of wildfires, drove carbon monoxide levels in Moscow five times higher than what is considered safe, the Russian Health Ministry said.

Residents were encouraged to stay indoors. Many who did not could be seen wearing masks as they walked outdoors.

In interviews with the state-run RIA Novosti news agency, health officials likened the pollution levels to smoking several packs of cigarettes a day.

Muscovites struggle to breathe as acrid smoke grips city - CNN.com

 

[westwall]

This is old hat now Chris. No one seems to care. It's sad about the fires for sure but that is natural because there was SO MUCH SNOW due to the EXCEPTIONALLY COLD WINTER that there was tons more fuel to burn.

It is a natural and exceptionally predictable cycle. I suggest you look at the history of California and Australian wildfires. they are very well researched and they allways say two things. After a heavy winter the summer will be very dangerous due to more fuel. Then after the fires have burned everything out the mudslides follow.

Los Angeles is particularly prone to landslides after wildfires because the San Gabrial Mountains are beyond the angle of repose so mass wasting ensues at a prodigous rate when the rains come.

I suggest you read John McPhee's "The Control of Nature" for an excellent description of the geologic processes involved that is very readable by the layman.

The only reason there is "SO MUCH SNOW" is because there is "SO MUCH HUMIDITY".

Humidity comes from the evaporation of water from heated oceans which have no ice cover.

They have no ice cover because of "EXTREME HEAT", which of course, leads to "SO MUCH SNOW".

Funny how that works out.

The right believes that "evaporation" is "just a theory". They believe "Snow" is actually "intelligently created" from "cold". And this is why we have so few Republican Scientists.

Well this DEMOCRAT scientist says to get snow it first has to be COLD. Or did you forget that little variable? Yes warmth gives you more water vapor but if it only has a residence time of a few days your contention that the heat makes more water vapor when it is in fact really damned cold out doesn't hold too much water....now does it?

 

[westwall]

Forest and peat bog fires have burned hundreds of homes, leaving thousands homeless in the hottest summer since records began 130 years ago, prompting leaders to declare a state of emergency in seven of the worst-hit regions.

Russia fires pose nuclear threat, death toll hits 50 | Reuters

You must live in a cave. Try looking up wildfires in the US southwest and Australia. It ain't no big deal except for those who lose their homes. And lets take a look at some historical fires shall we?

Santa Barbara Fire in 2008 destroyed 210 homes.

Santa Barbara County Fire (in the north county also in 2008) burned 88,000 acres

Santa Barbara 1989 8500 acres are burned along with more than 500 homes.

Oakland CA 1991 the Tunnel Fire (rated as a 107 alarm fire) consumes 1,520 acres and 3,354 single family residences, and 437 apartment and condo units at a estimated cost of 1.5 billion dollars. The human toll was 25 killed and 150 injured.

2006 in Victoria Australia 1 million hectares are burned.

Here is a copy from wiki for those who can't understand anything more complicated. As you will see bush fires are a necessary part of the life cycle of the flora, just like in the southwest US. What would you care to bet that they are neccessary for the Russian areas as well

"Bushfires in Australia, particularly in the southeast of the continent, are some of the most frequently and extensively occurring natural fires in the world. Many species of flora in Australia have evolved to rely on bushfires as a means of reproduction and they are an interwoven and essential part of life for all flora and fauna on the continent.

For many thousands of years, Aboriginal people have used fire for a variety of purposes. These included the encouragement of grasslands for hunting purposes and the clearing of tracks through dense vegetation. Throughout Australia's post-European history, from 1851–2009, there have been 815 human fatalities and 9,946 injuries. Bushfires have affected 1,311,050 people and made 31,942 homeless. The total accumulated cost of bushfires is estimated at $1,673,697,366.[1]

Bushfires in Australia occur all year-round and the season depends on the region, see below of a more detailed explanation.

Major firestorms that result in severe loss of life are often named based on the day on which they occur, such as Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday. Some of the most intense, extensive and deadly bushfires commonly occur during droughts and heat waves, such as the 2009 Southern Australia heat wave, which precipitated the conditions during the recent Black Saturday bushfires in which 173 lost their lives."


Then of course there are the historical Russian wildfires. This one too is lifted from wiki for the research impaired. I did however confirm it from other more reliable sources. You will notice the fire occured way back in 1921.

"Wildfires in Mari Autonomous Oblast, RSFSR occurred in the summer of 1921. Damage included 2,660 square kilometres of pine forest burned off, with serious repercussion for the economics of the area, already paralyzed by the Povolzhye famine. Fires led to 35 human and 1,000 cattle deaths, and 60 villages were destroyed. The effects of the fire were increased by strong winds."

So when you history challenged silly people get all hot and bothered about the current fires now you know why I yawn. And yes I lost a house in the 1989 Santa Barbara fire so i know how it feels.

 

[Oddball]

You forgot the great wildfire outbreak of '03, in the LA basin.


Nasty!