Category: South America

Why Will 2016 Be A Scorcher?

Rachel Gascoigne / / Africa, Europe, North America, South America, UK

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A new global temperature forecast from the UK’s Met Office says that 2016 is likely to be even warmer than 2015.

This year has already been provisionally declared the warmest on record all due to a combination of global warming and a particularly strong El Nino.

El Nino is a naturally occurring weather pattern causes extremes such as scorching weather, droughts and flooding around the world. The weather episode sees the warm waters of the central Pacific expand eastwards towards North and South America – pulling colder water from the deep ocean and into the eastern Pacific.

Usually the wind blows strongly from east to west due to rotation of the Earth. This causes water to pile up in the western part of the Pacific.
In an El Nino, the winds that push the water get weaker, causing the warmer water to shift back towards the east. This then causes the east Pacific to get warmer.

Ocean temperature is linked to wind currents, so this change is temperature causes winds to grow weaker, and therefore the oceans grow warmer and warmer, meaning the El Nino grows too.

The phenomenon happens every two to seven years, usually peaking late in the calendar year, although the effects can persist well into the following spring – and it definitely will be in 2016.

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El Nino usually just causes global temperatures to increase more than normal, however this year has seen active hurricanes in the eastern Pacific and in South East Asia, El Nino has been associated with a drought which helped increase wildfires in Indonesia and caused a dense haze in parts of the country. El Niño is also believed to have played a role in reducing the impact of this year’s monsoon in India. 

Enhanced rainfall is expected between October and December in East Africa too.

The Met Office think that 2016 could see temperatures to rise 1.1C above pre-industrial levels, however last week in Paris, countries agreed that the world should pursue efforts to limit the rise to 1.5C.

 

Photos by: Wikipedia,  NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

A New Time For Venezuela

Eduardo Gonzalez / / South America

Almost three days later and despite the rumours that talked about a possible vote-rigging, the results of parliamentary Venezuelan elections were finally made official by the CNE (Election National Council). The Venezuelan people have made a complete about-face since the last polls by choosing  the opposition party MUD (Roundtable for Democratic Unity), as their preferred option by a large margin above the current government group,  PSUV (United Socialist Party of Venezuela). With a 67.07 per cent of the votes, the Caprile’s Big tent party achieves 109 deputies and the qualifying majority in Parliament (with the help of the three representatives obtained by the Native Party), while Nicolás Maduro’s bevy has only reached 55 seats (32,93 per cent of votes).

One of the demonstrations against the government after 2013 presidential elections.

This new situation opens a new political horizon in the country. This majority could mean that a lot of changes are to come because now the parliament, which is the place where laws are made, will be in the hands of opposition party. The Spanish newspaper El País, publishes today an interview with the leader of MUD, Henrique Capriles, in which he gives assurances that they are taking steps to “urgently”change the judicial system. “Our main concerns are economy, social aspect and insecurity”, he added.  He was also asked about the political prisoners, victims of the repression:  “Maduro should read the result, starting with a gesture like releasing political prisoners and calling the country to national unity”, he answered.

For his part, the current president, Nicolás Maduro has already announced in the public Venezuelan television that he “has invited  his ministers to place their offices at the disposal”. With that measure he expects starting a “reconstruction, renovation and deep momentum process which will affect to all government areas”. He has also expressed he “will not accept any amnesty law” to release “nation killers that have violated human rights”, in reference to the bill what will be presented by the new majority to free the 70 political captives of Chavism, such as the leader of Popular Will party, Leopoldo López,  or the former major of Caracas, Antonio Ledezma. Many are afraid about the reaction of Maduro’s regime, which has still more than 3 years before it, until next presidential elections, in 2019. A new hope has risen in Venezuela but a lot of questions still remain open.

Photos by: Ruurmo, See Li.