It looks like the opening of a Hollywood disaster film. The South African government has
declared parts of the country disaster areas, after 40 people died in floods in a month. At the same time, the UN is to launch an appeal for emergency flood aid for Sri Lanka, where at least 32
people have died and more than 300,000 have been displaced.
Meanwhile flood waters in Australia have left a trail of destruction, at least 18 dead and a billion dollar bill for reconstruction. And in Brazil, survivors of the floods that have killed more than 600 people are frustrated by the lack of government help.
Are these floods causes by climate change? Well, yes and no. Everyone but the most blinkered proponent – and opponent – of man-made climate change knows that individual events are meaningless and cannot be used to conclude anything about the climate.
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