As Australia's deadly floods continued to spread this week, swollen rivers forced the evacuation of several more towns, exacerbating a natural disaster that has already killed 30 people and driven tens of thousands from their homes. Damage from the weeks of flooding will cost the country at least $5 billion — a tally that was made before the waters reached Brisbane, Australia's third-largest city, last week. Eco-conscious Australians are debating whether the rare intensity of the disaster is a result of global climate change. Could there be a connection? (Watch a report about the clean-up in Brisbane)
Of course there is: The downpours in Australia "only reinforce" theories about global warming and the far-reaching effects that "several degrees" difference in ocean waters can have, says Al Oleksuik in The Niagara Falls Review. In this case, we're seeing the results of La Niña, a naturally occurring upwelling of cool waters in the Pacific that can send moisture-laden air to drench distant lands. Warmer air holds more water, so the extreme weather now pounding Australia could become the new normal — better "stock up on snow shovels" and raincoats.
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