UN Reports on Extreme Weather and Climate Events (2/2)

In February, Mozambique had the worst flooding in 6 years. It said record-breaking heat was reported in southeastern Europe and central Russia earlier this year. A full report on weather in 2007 will be released at the end of the year.

The UN weather agency says it is working with its partners to establish an early warning system for climate extremes. It is also creating a long-term observation system to study the effects of climate change.

One such effect could be a lack of food and the risk of hunger in developing countries. The head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization warned last week that climate change might hurt food production in warm southern areas of the world. Jacques Diouf spoke in India. He said that crops will likely decrease in seasonally dry countries as average world temperatures rise. However, he said small temperature increases could increase crops in most industrialized nations.

Mister Diouf called for an intense scientific effort to develop crops that will grow in future weather conditions. He said one example is genetically changed crops that will grow in extreme temperatures, dry conditions or poor soil.