site.btaFloods in Bulgaria Caused by Climate Change Says Prof. Pimpirev

Floods in Bulgaria Caused by Climate Change Says Prof. Pimpirev


Sofia, September 18 (BTA) - The climate change affects the whole
planet and some pretty serious floods were seen in Bulgaria
over the past year, which are the result of the global climate
change, the head of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and
longstanding leader of the Bulgarian Antarctic expeditions,
Prof. Hristo Pimpirev, told BTA in an interview.

Asked whether climate change has already come to Bulgaria,
following this year's dry and warm winter, cool spring and
summer and constant rain and floods, Prof. Pimpirev explained
that this planet is a dynamic system, which is interconnected
and Bulgaria is a part of it, and as such is also subjected to
the impact of climate change.

Pimpirev recalled the floods in Serbia, Croatia and China, which
were devastating. He noted that other natural disasters, such
as typhoons and earthquakes, are also increasing in frequency
and urged Bulgarians to think about their environmental impact
and how they can avoid polluting.

He said that there is proof that in the last 40-50 years the
global methane atmospheric levels have increased by 100 per cent
and CO2 by 60-70 per cent. This all leads to a greenhouse
effect, melting of the ice caps and rising sea levels. This
changes the atmospheric circulation and causes floods in some
places and droughts in others, he explained.

Pimpirev said that he and fellow Bulgarian scientists study
Antarctica every year, because the ice continent is like a
litmus paper for the Earth's climate. The polar regions are very
indicative of climate change and are a prime destination for
scientists to study, he added.

According to Pimpirev, action must be taken on a global scale to
lower greenhouse gas emmissions, just as measures were taken in
the past to address the thinning ozone layer, which is now
recovering.