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Food for Thought General

Wildfires in Greece

Excursion and photografic reportage

Wildfires have been part of the ecosystems forever. However, increasing heat, changing rain patterns and other climate-related changes have vastly increased the likelihood that fires will start more often and burn more intensely and widely than they have in the past.

According to data from the European Commission, in recent years, wildfires have had a huge impact on Europe’s natural capital, economy and citizens. In the South of Europe (Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal and France), every year 500.000 acres are burnt in average every year. In 2019 and 2020, the season of wildfires was extended, starting earlier or lasting longer than expected, while the number of fires and burnt areas exceeded the average of the last twelve years in record time. Together with the increase in the number of days per year with high to extremely high risk of wildfire, it is estimated that the impact of extreme fires on large areas is likely to increase in the future, with long-term consequences.

In Greece, in the last years the number of wildfires has increased by 160% and the size of the burnt areas has increased by 300%. In the 19th of May 2021, in Geraneia Ori in Western Attica (65 kms from Athens) burnt 52.000 acres of forest. It was the most destructive, in relation with the size of the burnt area, wildfire of the last years and the only major wildfire that happened in Greece in a May.

Categories
Food for Thought

Artic Tipping Points

Ten-minute speech by Stefan Rahmstorf about the melting ice at the North Pole and the slowdown of the Gulf Stream – and the tipping or critical points to face a “major desaster of planetary scale”. We would not know how far away we are from these points but we move in that direction.

Categories
Food for Thought

The Gulf Stream

The Gulf stream is a worldwide circulation system. Amazing! It is discussed now if and in which way the climate change has an impact on the ocean currents. What about the consequences for Europe? Shall we expect a new Ice Age? Or more hot and dry summers? Find explanations in 5 minutes:

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Food for Thought

What means global warming?

Long and rich of content article in the Encyclopedia Britannica written by Michael E. Mann and Henrik Selin about Global Warming. With texts, videos, charts, and pictures to visualise the different phenomena and to explain global warming in general, climatic variation since the last glaciation, causes of global warming (including the greenhouse effect), radiative forcing, the influences of human activity on climate, natural influences on climate, feedback mechanisms and climate sensitivity, climate research, potential effects of global warming, global warming and public policy.

Enjoy reading and sure, you will learn a lot!

Categories
Food for Thought

Arctic Sea Ice Age Decline

See in short (2 min.) the development from January 1984 till October 2019

Categories
Food for Thought General

Is Climate Change Caused by Human?

It is often discussed whether the climate change is caused by human or not. Find here pro and contra arguments regarding: a) human activity, b) global warming, c) rise in sea levels, d) wheather events.