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Prof. Dr. Luiz Molion;There is no climate change! -World Water Forum 2015

• 20.04.2015
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Brazilian academic There is no climate change, it is simply climate variability 18 04 2015-Daegu-Word Water Forum- Interview: Climate change Underground sewage systems should be redesigned to boost urban resiliency against natural disasters like floods, a climate change skeptic said in an interview Thursday. “Even though the human impact is extremely small on the global climate, humans have generated damage to local climates and local environments. There, the main problem is a growing population and the acceleration of urban areas’ growth. There’s no way we can escape from criticsm,” said Luiz Carlos Baldicero Molion, a Brazilian meteorologist and professor at the Federal University of Alagoas. “Even if rainfall continues at the same level, the water can’t flow underground because of concrete structures. Therefore, with just a moderate amount of water, the rainfall easily turns into a flood,” he continued, adding that urban areas would some day have to be redesigned. Do you believe the climate is changing? I say no. There is no climate change, it is simply climate variability. When you take Korea as an example, at certain times ocean currents bring warm water along the coasts of Korea and China. So the North Pacific becomes warmer and the tropical Pacific becomes cooler. This is what we call the “phase of oscillation period” in the Pacific Ocean during the past two to three decades. After that, the transportation of heat by ocean currents is reduced as the water becomes slightly cooler, and Korea and China see reduced rainfall. That’s because the warmer the ocean water, the more water evaporates, resulting in more rainfall. Humans feel the impact as a change in their region’s climate. But it takes a long time. Both the heating and cooling process take about 60 years. The process has always been repeated and we have data. We’re not sure if the same thing happened before people started collecting data. According to a study published in the science journal “Nature” in 2009, records at the Vostok research stations in Antarctica showed that the Earth has gone through four ice ages in the past 420,000 years, during which there were three interglacial periods and temperatures were as much as 10 degrees centigrade higher than those of modern times. If abrupt waterfall fluctuations are a part of weather changes that some regions experience and others don’t, what’s your take on the impact on humans? Basically, I think we’re living on a planet that was wrongly named, because our climate and life are largely determined by water – the ocean – which covers 71 percent of the Earth’s surface. This is the planet “Ocean.” Because we’re living on a planet 71-percent covered with water and the oceans’ temperature is changed by ocean currents, climate is largely determined by the hydrologic cycle. We occupy 29 percent of the Earth’s surface. Fifteen percent of the planet’s surface is desert, ice caps and barren land, and the remaining 14 percent are areas where humans can live. But there are human populations only in half of that habitable area; the remaining half is covered with forests and jungles. The size of the areas where humans can affect nature is extremely small. Intense storms and floods have always occurred in the past, with long warm and cold periods. What many parts of the world have experienced recently in intense rainfall and storms is just weather changes rather than climate events. The effect of those weather events differs in different regions, meaning they are primarily weather issues on the local level. So, I think they are not a sign of climate change. When the tempearture of the ocean changes, it of course changes the climate. That’s natural. There’s no human involvement; carbon dioxide emissions do not control the climate. When people say we have to reduce CO2 emissions, do they have proof? Some may raise questions about the data I use to back up my argument, saying the timeline is very short and is was only 100 years ago when humans started emitting tons of CO_2. That’s true in a sense, because there were no thermometers in the old days. But instead of looking at records, climate scientists now use proxies like ice core evidence. Researchers go to Antartica to dig up cores from 3 kilometers down. What’s the biggest culprit causing natural disasters like floods and storms? Although the human impact is extremely small on the global climate, humans have generated damage to local climates and local environments. There, the main problem is the growing population and the acceleration of urban areas’ growth. There’s no way we can escape from criticsm. Because the rural population’s migration to urban areas is a growing trend in emerging economies across the globe, most central and local governments simply fill land with concrete, start raising buildings and invite people live on that land. Urbanization continues like that. Even if rainfall continues at the same level, the water can’t flow underground because of concrete structures. Therefore, with just a moderate amount of water, the rainfall easily turns into a flood. My growing concern is that this urbanization trend is a global phenomenon. Now, about 55 percent of the world’s population is living in cities. The ratio may exceed 70 percent in the 2050s. If global warming is natural, what should humans do? Personally, I think water management in the sense of boosting resilience in the wake of floods is the job of local governments, not the central government. Local governments should see this issue in a long-term perspective and start investing in redesigns of their sewage and underground facilities. It will take a lot of money and time, but it’s crucial. From an academic perspective, researchers should also start collecting rainfall data in rural areas and remote ocean areas. In the developing world, people have to have a knowledge of precipitation to design flood prevention systems. When responding to water-related hazards, experts need detailed data for analysis.   Source ; WWF web sayfası günlük raporu  /7th Day)