Searing temperatures

THE 20th century is recorded as the hottest in at least a millennium, accord-ing to scientists. Studies of tree rings, ice cores, corals and historical records from Europe and China going back 1,000 years have been unable to find a hotter century, they say. Data show that July, 1998, was the hottest month on the Earth since records began more than 100 years ago. According to us vice-president Al Gore, temperatures in July world wide averaged 16.5c, about 0.7C higher than normal and almost 0.3C higher than the previous monthly record set in July 1997.

The study has indicated a small increase in global temperatures, about 0.55C over the past 100 years, says Mary Voice, superintendent of the National Climate Centre, Melbourne, Australia. It also indicates a sharp rise in warming over the past 15 years, with many of the hottest years on record occurring this decade. When matched against temper-ature records obtained from tree rings and glaciers, the weather this decade is all the more extraordinary.

The soaring global temperatures could have an adverse affect on health. Scientists have long reported that cli-matic changes related to global warming could unleash an outbreak of diseases like malaria, dengue fever, cholera and heat stroke.