Russian and Canadian wildfires plus flooding in Pakistan

On Friday, President Demitri Medvedev said that in 14 regions of Russia, "practically everything is burning".

"What's happening with the planet's climate right now needs to be a wake-up call to all of us, meaning all heads of state, all heads of social organizations, in order to take a more energetic approach to countering the global changes to the climate." - President Medvedev

http://climateprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Russia.jpg

Drought and raging wildfires have destroyed one-fifth of the wheat crop in Russia and sent wheat prices soaring around the world. The severe drought in Russia is thought to be the country's worst in 130 years. Most of the damage to the wheat crop has been caused by the drought, but now wildfires are sweeping farmlands in western Russia. Troubles with wheat crops aren't confined to that part of the world. Heavy rains during the planting season destroyed much of Canada's crop. The Canadian Wheat Board, the marketing agency for the country's farmers, is forecasting a 35 percent drop in the harvest.

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/03/2127213/russian-wheat-crop-in-dire-straits.html#ixzz0veI1O7as

There are also large firestorms in Canada. A ribbon of smoke snaked east across western Canada on August 2, 2010, clouding skies over Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and the Hudson Bay. On August 2, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center reported 1,015 fires burning in Canada, most of which were ignited by lightning.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=45025

At the same time we have record flooding in Pakistan. The flooding in Pakistan is the worst in 70 years and has displaced several million people. These images show the scope of these unfolding disasters — involving excessive fire and water — which are related to extreme climate conditions that are projected to become more frequent in a heating world.

Aug. 1, 2009:

July 31, 2010:

Perhaps this will put to rest the notion that a little global warming in cold places like Canada and Russia would be a good thing for those countries.