Wavier Jet Stream “May Drive Weather Shift”

Politicians have long assumed that they have plenty of time to cope with the onslaught of climate change, and scientists claim it is too early to link a wavering jet stream with this winter’s extreme weather in the northern hemisphere. Yet ordinary people should consider that climate change attributed to the burning of coal and other fossil fuels may be less gradual than once thought. A study from the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago suggests the slowed wind currents in the upper reaches of the atmosphere could be “a result of the recent warming of the Arctic,” reports Pallab Ghosh for BBC News. “Temperatures there have been rising two to three times faster than the rest of the globe.” Regions can expect harsh weather and stalled patterns including drought in California, record warmth in Alaska and Scandinavia, snow and ice in the Eastern United States and torrential rains in Britain. Agriculture, tourism, educators, transportation and many other industry representatives must account and plan for the extra costs of extreme weather. – YaleGlobal