In a report released on
 
Wednesday, January 26,
 
the US National Oceanic 
 
and Atmospheric 
 
Administration found 
 
that 2010 tied with 2005 
 
as the warmest year 
 
on record. 
 
Land and surface 
 
water temperatures 
 
in both years were 
 
0.62 degrees Celsius 
 
higher than 
 
the 20th century average, 
 
making this
 
the 34th consecutive year 
 
that the Earth's 
 
average temperatures 
 
were increased 
 
in this way. 
 
In the Atlantic Ocean, 
 
12 hurricanes and 
 
19 named storms marked 
 
the second highest 
 
number of hurricanes and 
 
third highest occurrences 
 
of storms. 
 
Unusually strong jet streams 
 
from June to August 
 
2010 led to a devastating 
 
heat wave in Russia 
 
and massive floods 
 
in Pakistan. 
 
Record severe weather 
 
events have continued 
 
into 2011 with flood 
 
tragedies elsewhere 
 
on the globe, 
 
such as in Australia. 
 
Meteorology Professor 
 
David Karoly (PhD) 
 
of the University of 
 
Melbourne explained 
 
how climate change is 
 
behind this established 
 
global pattern of such 
 
traumatic incidents.
 
Prof. David Karoly (M): 
 
The rainfall we've seen is 
 
in fact record high rainfall, 
 
not only in Queensland 
 
but also in Victoria 
 
and New South Wales. 
 
We've seen already 
 
that these increases 
 
in extreme flooding 
 
and other extreme 
 
weather events not only 
 
in Australia but also 
 
in Brazil, in Pakistan, 
 
in Sri Lanka at present. 
 
They're all indications 
 
that the higher moisture 
 
levels in the atmosphere, 
 
the increases in global 
 
average temperatures 
 
are already causing 
 
increases in extreme 
 
weather events 
 
around the world. 
 
So we're already seeing 
 
significant loss of life 
 
from these flooding events, 
 
but we've seen also 
 
loss of life associated 
 
with the record heat waves 
 
in Moscow in 2010 
 
and in southeastern 
 
Australia in 2009. 
 
That indicates that action 
 
on climate change 
 
is urgent. 
 
Supreme Master TV(F): 
 
What are the solutions 
 
to lessen these types 
 
of flooding events 
 
and the drier weather 
 
and just climate change 
 
in general?
 
Prof. David Karoly (M): 
 
So if we want to 
 
slow down the increases 
 
in extreme weather events 
 
and slow down the rate 
 
of climate change, 
 
we know exactly 
 
what we have to do. 
 
We know that we can 
 
change from using fossil 
 
fuels for driving industry 
 
to renewable energy sources. 
 
We also know that 
 
we can reduce 
 
agricultural emissions 
 
and reduce deforestation 
 
by changing
 
to a low-emission 
 
agricultural practices, 
 
like moving from
 
animal agriculture 
 
to moving to crops 
 
and vegetarian diets.
 
VOICE: 
 
While such findings 
 
are disturbing, 
 
we are thankful 
 
to Professor Karoly and 
 
the US National Oceanic 
 
and Atmospheric 
 
Administration for 
 
charting the intensifying 
 
course of climate change. 
 
May humanity awaken 
 
to this reality and 
 
halt further tragedies 
 
by adopting sustainable
 
lifestyles that are more
 
in harmony with nature. 
 
During a May 2008 
 
videoconference 
 
in South Korea, 
 
Supreme Master Ching Hai 
 
expressed her concern 
 
for worsening global 
 
warming-related disasters 
 
as she spoke of steps 
 
that could effectively 
 
mitigate them.
 
Supreme Master Ching Hai : You see, we have 
 
more disasters nowadays, 
 
and it saddens my heart 
 
very much. 
 
I keep trying to tell 
 
everyone to minimize it. 
 
From 
 
individual standpoint, 
 
just stay away 
 
from animal products, 
 
plant trees, 
 
use sustainable energy. 
 
Actually, I hope that 
 
there is no disaster. 
I hope that humans 
 
decide right now 
 
to just stop all 
 
the unnecessary habits 
 
that they are living with 
 
and change into 
 
the better one, 
 
the more noble one, 
 
a noble lifestyle. 
 
Then, we don't have to 
 
worry about the aftermath. 
 
The climate will 
 
change for the better, 
 
we will live on, we will 
 
still have the planet, 
 
and they'll become 
 
wiser and better, 
 
more virtuous 
 
and more blessed, and 
 
peace will reign on Earth 
 
for a long, long time. 
http://www.france24.com/en/20110112-2010-warmest-year-record-canadahttp://www.france24.com/en/20110112-2010-ties-2005-warmest-year-record-us