Extreme weather strikes around the world

World Today

Extreme weather is wreaking havoc around the globe, as global climate change fuels drought and storms.

CGTN’s Jim Spellman reports.

India continues to deal with heavy flooding- ¬ the official death toll is around 400, thousands are still stranded and more than a million are in displaced in shelters, according to local media reports.

Typhoon Soulik slammed into Japan bringing rain and high winds. Clean up continues in China after heavy rains and flooding from Typhoon Rumbia forced at least 140,000 people to evacuate.

 As many spots around the world cope with flooding, others deal with drought. In Germany, the government has committed $390 million in aid and Australia has allocated more than a billion dollars in aid to its farmers.

In Brazil, experts said poor planning has made crops more vulnerable to drought.

“Regional development has accelerated the desertification progress in this semi-arid area. In one word, clearing up forests is the major reason behind this phenomenon,” said Humberto  Barbosa, a researcher at Federal University of Alagoas

Hawaii is bracing for Hurricane Lane — now a massive category 4 storm. Forecasts are still uncertain, but the storm could make landfall Thursday.

“A direct hit in any significant populated area would be far more than any emergency planning can plan for,” said David Ige, Hawaii’s Governor.

Researchers said we should brace for more of these powerful storms.

“The projections are there will be an increase in frequency and intensity of major storms in the future due to climate change,” said Jayantha Obeysekera of Florida International University.