As the United States Global Change Research Program’s recently released draft report on climate change points out, some kinds of weather events have become more common, and more intense, in recent years. In 2012 alone, Arctic sea-ice dipped to a new low, as an area larger than the US melted; unprecedented heat waves struck Australia, and other areas; record floods hit China and Japan; and the United Kingdom had its wettest year on record.
但这一思想已经站不住脚。美国全球变化研究计划最新公布的气候变化报告草案指出，近几年来，一些类型的天气事件变得越来越常见、越来越猛烈。2012年，北冰洋海冰数量降至历史新低，融化面积相当于美国国土；澳大利亚和其他地区遭遇前所未有热浪袭击；中国和日本遭遇创纪录的洪水；英国遭遇有记录以来最湿年份。但全球应对措施仍然不充分。