Surprisingly, some 40,000 residents in Northern Ireland have joined the ranks of those residing in third world countries, for most of whom it is a matter of daily routine to stand in queues to get the basic necessities of life. Owing to extreme cold weather, the water supply system has collapsed due to the bursting of pipes, leaving citizens scrambling for even drinking water for the past one week. Wales is undergoing a similar situation where 5,000 households are without water supply for the same reason. It will take another week for the water supply to be fully restored. Meanwhile, the local authorities are making available essential water supplies through tankers and other means.If climatic change is producing on the one hand global warming, on the other hand it is producing disturbances in the delicate balance of the earth’s eco-system, climate, weather, etc.
According to the Journal of Geophysical Research, the cold spell in Europe is the result of global warming, which has created a profound disruption in global temperatures. This is not the first time Europe has experienced the adverse impact of climate change. Year 2003 saw the hottest summer in Europe, leading to more than 40,000 deaths and crop failures in southern Europe. Debate continues whether these changes have been caused by human activity or are part of the natural climatic cycle. However, there is increasing evidence to strengthen the claim that human activity has contributed significantly to the rise in greenhouse gases. This year too, extraordinary events like forest fires in Russia and devastating floods in Pakistan are believed to be part of the process of climate change. Perhaps this is the only phenomenon that crosses boundaries and is affecting populaces around the world in similar ways.Ironically, it has made people in the first world experience what a large majority in the poorer nations suffer daily, especially in Pakistan. They have to go without gas, electricity and water supplies on a regular basis. Welcome to the club, Northern Ireland! – Dailytimes
