INTRO: I knew Bob Hunter fairly well in a previous incarnation. Bob
co-founded Greenpeace. His column appeared weekly. He wrote often about
global warming. It was humorous to see his winter columns about global
warming run during some terrible winter storms -- humorous to read the
mail responses that called him stupid. As if localized weather indicated
a trend.
But this kind of trend (below) is noteworthy. I don't see the
reactionary types (either left or right) arguing about the enviro stuff
at the moment. While I do think the planet is much more powerful than
humanity, perhaps we do make some effect.
Maybe Ian is right in his prognostication... the next unifying
revolutionary force will be green, not red. Everyone is immediately
interested.
After all... Everyone talks about the weather... Even the 90+% of the
North American populace that is already proletarian.
Ken.
--
Education is a system of imposed ignorance.
-- Noam Chomsky
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Heat blamed for dozens of deaths across Europe
Associated Press
Monday, Aug. 11, 2003
Paris — About 50 people have died of heat-related illnesses in the Paris
region in the past few days, the head of France's emergency physicians'
association says.
Patrick Pelloux, in an interview Sunday with TF1 television, criticized
France's surgeon-general for characterizing the deaths over the previous
four days as natural.
"They dare to talk about … natural deaths — I absolutely do not agree,"
he said.
Health Ministry spokesman Mathieu Monnet said officials did not have
figures on deaths related to the heat that has scorched France and other
parts of Europe over the past week. Paris has baked under temperatures
at or exceeding 37 degrees.
Temperatures across Europe continues relentlessly hot, with Britain
sweltering through its hottest day on record Sunday and Alpine glaciers
melting.
The heat and drought-driven fires across the continent prompted Pope
John Paul II to urge people to pray for rain.
The French ministry conceded there had been a noticeable increase in
hospital visits by the aged. Hospitals in the Paris region have been
worst affected most and have increased the number of beds for urgent
cases.
But the ministry also appeared to play down suggestions of a large
number of heat-related deaths, saying emergency services have not
witnessed a "massive flood" of cases.
"Difficulties encountered are comparable to previous years," it said in
a statement.
Other experts disagreed.
Jean-Louis San Marco, president of the National Health Prevention and
Education Institute, said in a newspaper interview that more must be
done.
"We are facing a human drama, carnage the like of which doubtless has
never been seen in France," Mr. Marco said in Monday's Le Parisien. "Yet
the impression given is of radio silence. It makes me want to scream.
"Elderly people are dying of heat, but indifference is the order of the
day because theirs are clandestine, invisible deaths. Yet I assure you
these are not natural deaths, as is said, and in many cases are
avoidable."
The leader of the opposition Socialist Party, François Hollande, joined
the chorus of criticism, accusing the government of being "passive and
inert."
The government was meeting Monday with the French power giant EDF to
assess the consequences on electricity production.
Rising river temperatures are affecting power plants that use water and
forcing nuclear plants to scale back output.
Nicole Fontaine, the government's industry minister, urged people to cut
power use, because France most likely will not be able to depend on
European neighbours in case of an energy shortage.
"All of Europe has been hit by the heat wave and the drought, and this
limits available energy resources," she said.
About 40 people across Europe are officially said to have died in the
heat wave that has fanned forest fires, destroyed livestock and set
record temperatures in many cities.
A record high for overnight temperatures in Paris was set Sunday into
Monday, when the fell to only 25.5 degrees, according to Météo France,
the national weather service. The previous record was 24, set in 1976.
Dominique Escale of Météo France said temperatures throughout France
were expected to drop by midweek, but would remain well above average.
Forecasters predict a high of 29 degrees Celsius for Thursday in the
French capital.
In Britain, the heat is also making life "just miserable. You can't get
any respite from it," Londoner Ranald Davidson said.
The British national weather service recorded a reading of 37.9 degrees
Celsius at Heathrow Airport, outside a parched and baking London, and
38.1 degrees at Gravesend in southern England. Northern parts of the
country were cooler, and torrential rain created problems in North
Yorkshire.
Germans, too, have had record heat. In the Bavarian city of Roth, the
temperature hit nearly 40.6 on Saturday, beating the previous record of
40 degrees, also in Bavaria and set in 1983.
Pope John Paul II made his prayer appeal at the papal palace in lakeside
Castel Gandolfo, which is generally cooler than Rome. Drought-fed fires
have plagued Italy, the Iberian Peninsula, France and arid areas of
other countries.
In the French Alps, a police officer warned hikers about avalanches
along a popular route on Mont Blanc. Glacial ice is melting, loosening
rocks from the mountainside. On Saturday, helicopters lifted 44 climbers
from danger, police said.
Germany was expected to remain hot until midweek, forecasters in Italy
expect the country to be steamy through August, and Spain's National
Meteorological Institute predicted temperatures above 41.5 degrees will
continue throughout Spain for at least another week.
