Climate change is blamed for floods, wildfires and even plague
Extreme floods in , bushfires in Australia and even an outbreak of plague in have all been blamed on this week. Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro declared that 'this is the result of climate change' after the city was ravaged by near-record floods on Tuesday. In Australia, bushfires have killed at least four people and meteorologists say climate change is increasing the 'frequency and severity' of the danger. And in China, authorities say the rodent population has increased in the wake of droughts, causing a rare outbreak of pneumonic plague. Venice, a city of canals, is especially vulnerable to rising sea levels but plans for a flood protection barrier have been beset by rising costs and corruption. The water reached 'apocalyptic' levels in the city this week and caused 'widespread devastation', bringing misery to tourists and local residents. The floods left gondolas stranded in alleyways and shops submerged in water while St Mark's Square was so flooded that one man even swam across it. Water levels in Venice reached nearly 6ft 2in, just short of the all-time record of 6ft 5in which was set in 1966. The historic St Mark's Basilica was flooded for just the sixth time in 1,200 years, but the fourth in the last 20. Italy's environment minister Sergio Costa also blamed climate change and the 'tropicalisation' of violent rainfall and strong winds. The government will today declare a state of emergency and take on 'exceptional powers' to respond to the crisis. On the other side of the world, parts of Australia have been ravaged by wild bushfires which experts say are getting worse. Parts of New South Wales and Queensland have faced drought which the Bureau of Meteorology says is being driven, in part, by warmer sea temperatures. Air temperatures have also risen, increasing the ferocity of droughts and fires. Meteorologists say human-caused climate change is increasing the 'frequency and severity' of dangerous bushfire conditions. However, links between climate change and extreme weather events have become a matter of political debate in Australia. The government accepts the need to cut emissions, but backs the coal industry and warns that tough environmental action could cripple Australia's economy. That pits the country against its Pacific island neighbours which are particularly susceptible to warmer temperatures and rising seas. In China, health officials have reported a rare outbreak of pneumonic plague after two cases were confirmed this week in Beijing. The two were infected in the province of Inner Mongolia, where rodent populations have expanded dramatically after persistent droughts, worsened by climate change, state media said. An area the size of the Netherlands was hit by a 'rat plague' last summer. Globally, concern about effective action has surged since U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned the international Paris Accord on climate change. Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro are among the world's only leaders who publicly question the science of climate change. Both have faced devastating fires in their countries - in California and the Amazon basin - which environmentalists at least partly blame on global warming. The Lancet medical journal published a study this week saying climate change was already harming people's health by increasing the number of extreme weather events. A warmer world brings risks of food shortages, infectious diseases, floods and extreme heat. If nothing is done, the impacts could burden an entire generation with disease and illness throughout their lives, researchers said.