Extreme weather Down Under

The Australian government has cited climate change as a major factor in the nation’s recent extreme weather events.

While the country has traditionally hesitated to link climate change to individual weather events, a report released by the Australian Climate Commission concluded the global phenomenon was largely to blame for the recent record-setting, four-month heat wave, which was followed by heavy rains and flooding that caused about $2.43 billion in damage, according to The New York Times.

The report, titled “The Angry Summer,” asserts that Australia’s naturally occurring cycles of drought and flooding rains will become progressively more extreme unless major steps are taken by the global community.