EDITORIAL

By Jason Moore
THE rain in Spain....Just what has happened to the weather in Majorca? After one of the hottest summers on record enter September and near torrential rains and conditions which would not look out of place on a tropical island. I don't think I have ever known such radical weather conditions. But I must admit we were warned. A survey compiled by the University of East Anglia last year said that Mediterranean summers would be shorter and hotter (no surprises there) and that the winters would be longer and colder and I am afraid to say that this state of affairs has all been brought about by global warming. If you haven't installed air conditioning/central heating by the look of it you better start now. But the weather in Majorca is not just a talking point...it is our lifeblood. If the University of East Anglia is correct, and it looks as if they are, then Majorca must start taking these climatic changes into account. The change in the weather is already clearly noticeable. Ten years ago central heating was a luxury item which could only be afforded by the rich...now it is almost a necessity. The same can be said for air conditioning. But how does this leave the tourist industry? If the winters are getting colder then you can safely say that much more effort will be needed to promote out of season visitors. If the summers are going to get hotter then perhaps this state of affairs will even damage the summer season. The climatic change needs to be taken seriously by the government. The weather this year should be causing concern and it is time that the alarm bells start ringing.