Global warming- Greece

[jennylamb1]

In Rhodes, Greece. Have been holidaying here for over 30 years, as have family here. Yearly average at this time of year is high 30 low 24, this week if will be 39/24 and compared to the usual pleasant heat and balmy evenings, it is like being in an oven.
I know it's global warming, however the increase in the number of heat waves here has ramped up significantly and I feel as if for the first time we're experiencing it firsthand which is sobering.

I meant 6 inch in diamater not 6 inch in length, and no I am not thick, the thought that you can relate something from 40 metres down in the polar icecap to weather thousands of years ago in Greece is a bit of a stretch.

I'm presuming you're a highly qualified climate scientist who's worked with the data for many years and is actively involved in the academic community. In which case, I suggest you publish your "it's a bit of a stretch" theory in a peer reviewed journal..

@deplorabelle 😂

As you claim not to be thick, @ruffler45, you've probably got some idea why the ice caps melting is a major concern at the moment. And will, no doubt, be able to intelligently deduce that the state of polar ice was just as important when Earth's climate changed in the past.

Ice cores aren't just records of what the ice was like: they contain pollen, volcanic ash, gases and mineral deposits as well as, more recently, soot, industrial chemicals and plastic. Along with the evidence from trees, rocks and the sea bed, we've got a good idea of what was happening to Earth at various points in time - that allows scientists to trace cause & effect, which informs understanding of what's happening now.

I agree I'm noticing the signs of climate breakdown seem more obvious than they used to be. Sometimes we see an extreme event and overestimate its significance (posters are right that heat waves and hot conditions are normal for Greece in summer) but the underlying picture is alarming and unarguable.

It's also really hard to take meaningful personal action because we live in the world we do. It's why we get things like China leading the world on renewables, especially solar which is the cheapest way of producing electricity currently on the planet. BUT they are also building out coal at a rate even though it's one of the most expensive ways of generating power. As I understand it China does plan to decommission coal eventually (because obviously solar is much cheaper and they have the theoretical solar power available to do it. Plus they are a signatory to the Paris agreement). We live in the economic climate that's been centuries in the making, and undoing that is hard.

Personal carbon footprints are a tricky thing and they were originally invented to try to shift the blame onto the individual. We do not carry as much responsibility as governments and multinationals do, but I think wealthy westerners who can afford holidays do carry some responsibility. It probably is worth calculating the carbon cost of holiday flights and seeing if they stack up compared to the actions you take in daily living. Your flight will have been just under a tonne of CO2 per person so it's a hefty amount to "make back" through personal action. Possible but quite hard. Maybe vegan diet for a year or cut a quarter of your car usage (per person).

My personal decision is not to fly for holiday any more. I still would fly for important family reasons (because it's pretty dire for CO2 pollution but it's not Bond villain dire). It means I haven't been to Greece though I'd love to. However most of central and western Europe is easily accessible by train for vastly less carbon if the rail line is electrified.

Power stations need fuel. Nothing is a gimmme!

We fly. We have an electric car, 24 solar panels, 4 batteries and heat pumps. We have spent a fortune! We meet others who just fly and fly and do nothing to their homes. This needs to change.

None of it makes much difference with other world polluters though. I’m just hoping we get some sun to lower our bills!

news.sky.com/story/amp/mini-heatwave-heading-to-uk-as-southern-europe-swelters-in-hellishly-hot-weather-13178948

I'm not a Daily Mail fan but this:

'Hellishly hot' southern Europe is hit with 104F (40C) temperatures
mol.im/a/13642585

This thread has been really interesting so thank you op. I don't think I realised many years ago, that our weather would turn into this!

Plus, like you say, in Greece (where m Mosley died) boiling. And last month 50 degrees in India!

I never holiday in Southern Europe in July/Aug. I live on the south coast of England and our summers are usually plenty hot enough without having to spend money to go and spend time on an even hotter beach in the Med. We have been to a number of Southern European countries but always in May/Oct half terms. Even Feb half term a couple of times. I like 20-22° kinda weather and am in the shade if it’s any hotter than that.

That said, we are trying to avoid much flying nowadays (and yes, we also drive an electric car and have solar panels. We do eat beef but only occasionally).