Wanna Argument?
Freak Weather - apocalypse now or storm in a teacup?
Climate Change - A 'Natural' Explanation?
Research points to the ending of the 'little ice age' as the chief culprit of the extreme weather conditions that have affected Britain recently. This mini-freeze, when, at times, river systems like the Thames and the Severn Estuary froze over, occurred from the latter part of the 1500s right up to the early 20th century.
Some scientists point to evidence that the ending of this little ice age during the early 1900s was responsible for the warming of the globe and the subsequent rise in sea levels. Analysis of ice samples compacted over millenia indicate that the ending of ice ages is often characterised by periods of extreme weather. This is backed up by analysis of cave stalagmites which show that prolonged rain and stormy conditions often follow ice ages.
Upon one point though the scientists are united: increased carbon emissions like those produced during the second half of the last century, will exacerbate the climatic changes that are being experienced currently.