Photo credit: suburbanbloke

It’s not just Argentina, Australia and California who faces severe droughts and heatwaves. BBC reports that China has declared a drought emergency in northern and central parts of the country. Around four million people are suffering from water shortages while almost half of China’s winter crop is under threat.

“President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao ordered all-out efforts to fight the drought, allocating 400m yuan ($58m, £40m) in relief assistance.

China’s drought relief office called it an event “rarely seen in history”.

China faces droughts and floods annually but has seen a recent increase in extreme weather conditions.

The Chinese authorities say the current drought is expected to continue as no rain has been forecast in the affected areas for at least 10 days.”

The Chinese agriculture ministry says it’s on red alert and tries to focus on stabilising the grain production and ensure agricultural production can continue.

Photo credit: suburbanbloke

As a top German scientist warns that climate change is accelerating, while 2008 ends up being the tenth warmest year ever recorded and a NOAA study shows climate change is “largely irreversible for 1000 years” we hear news about severe heatwaves and droughts in Argentina, Australia and USA.

Australians are currently facing a severe heatwave with temperatures of 40-plus Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for the southern parts of the country, making it the worst heatwave in 100 years. And the Australian government says it’s a sign of climate change.

“Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said the heatwave, which started on Wednesday, was the sort of weather scientists had been warning about.

“Eleven of the hottest years in history have been in the last 12, and we also note, particularly in the southern part of Australia, we’re seeing less rainfall,” Wong told reporters.

“All of this is consistent with climate change, and all of this is consistent with what scientists told us would happen.”"

In Argentina the people are currently facing a year long drought that has killed an estimated one million animals and destroyed thousands of acres of valuable crops.

“Skeletons of livestock are piling up in the scorching sun of the Southern Hemisphere’s summer as the worst drought in a generation turns much of Argentina’s breadbasket into a dust bowl.

The nation’s farm sector stands to lose $5 billion this year alone — a huge blow to the economy of Argentina, a top world exporter of soy, corn, wheat and beef — as well as to the government of President Cristina Fernandez, which faces billions of dollars in debt payments this year.

Wheat fields that once supplied flour for pasta-loving Argentines now resemble deserts, and spiny thistles are all that survive on cattle ranches in southern Buenos Aires province.”

And in California, USA, a new study has showed that the state is facing one of the worst droughts in its history as the winter snow levels is only at 61% of normal levels.

“The state, which produces about half the United States’ vegetables and fruit, is in its third year of drought and its main system supplying water to cities and farms may only be able to fulfill 15 percent of requests, scientists said.

The snowpack on California’s mountains is carrying only 61 percent of the water of normal years, according to the survey by the state Department of Water Resources. Last year the snowpack held 111 percent of the normal amount of water, but spring was the driest ever recorded.

“California is headed toward one of the worst water crises in its history, underscoring the need to upgrade our water infrastructure by increasing water storage, improving conveyance, protecting the (Sacramento) Delta’s ecosystem and promoting greater water conservation,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

“We may be at the start of the worst California drought in modern history,” added Water Resources Director Lester Snow in a separate statement.”

As you might have noticed by now, the summer has finally arrived for us here on Green Blog. That means the posting level will be low for another couple of days, until its starts to rain, of course. Instead of making just a dull and uninteresting post about our wonderful summer holiday I want to share with you two interesting emails we’ve received during the past days:

The first one comes from Jeff:

Let me begin by saying I love your blog. In today’s world, people don’t pay attention to the issues that really matter—the issues facing the future of our species and our home.

One of these issues is the emerging world water shortage. Our water is running out and it boggles my mind that more people aren’t concerned. It is going to very soon affect everyone in very big ways.

I decided to take action, so I created a presentation to explore the water issue and to get more people thinking. It is called THIRST. I thought you all at the green blog might be interested in checking it out. You can view it here: http://www.slideshare.net/jbrenman/thirst/

And no, it’s not just emails that love our blog that gets through our attention-filter!

The second email comes from Bryan:

My name is Bryan Migliorisi and I am writing to you today in hopes that you will help publicize on your blog a small social network with big potential.

The Staga Network is a site I created over the past year or so with the goal of helping people in nearby neighbourhoods. The idea is simple: You give away things you no longer use to people nearby.

By doing so, you can clear out the ‘clutter’ in your own home, you help someone who may be in need, and most importantly you help reduce unnecessary trash. Since the communities are based on your local neighbourhood, everything is free and there is no need to mail and ship anything (which also helps eliminate excess emissions).

http://www.staga.net

Also, don’t forget to welcome two of our new authors here on Green Blog: Christine Reed and Jennifer Kaplan. And don’t forget that you can talk with all of us over at our Green Forum, registration is free, simple, takes just a few seconds and you can even help us plant trees.