UN Reports on Extreme Weather and Climate Events (1/2)

This summer, heavy rains and flooding have caused more than five hundred deaths in South Asia. More than 10 million people have been forced from their homes. Huge amounts of cropland, animals and property have been destroyed. Officials and aid groups say a public health crisis" class="hjdict" word="crisis" target=_blank>crisis threatens about thirty million people throughout India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

The World Meteorological Organization says the rain in South Asia is just one of many extreme weather events this year. The United Nations agency announced last week that January and April were the warmest months on record worldwide. The discovery appears to support environmental changes confirmed by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in February. The group said that it was more than ninety percent sure that dioxide " class="hjdict" word="carbon dioxide " target=_blank>carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases from human activities have been the main cause of global warming.

The World Meteorological Organization also noted extreme weather in other areas. It said heavy rains in China in June affected more than 13 million people.