Extreme Weather & Global Warming: Floods in Iowa & China, Wildfires in California, Heat Waves on the East Coast...

Wildfires rage across California and a state of emergency is declared in several counties

Torrential rain in the midwest and historic levels of flooding from Iowa to Missouri.

At least six people are killed by tornadoes in Iowa and Kansas.

A heat wave on the East coast has claimed the lives of 17 people.

In China, people have barely had time to recover from the recent earthquake. Flooding and rain have killed over 60 and left over a million people homeless.

Meanwhile record drought in many parts of the US and Australia continue.

The words extreme weather are rarely associated in the mainstream media with another two words: global warming.
But scientists argue that these extreme weather events are consistent with changes they have long predicted would accompany global warming.

We turn now to climate blogger and scientist Joseph Romm. He is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and was acting assistant secretary of energy for energy efficiency and renewable energy during the Clinton Administration.

We’re also joined on the phone from Des Moines Iowa, by environmental journalist Perry Beeman. He’s an award-winning investigative reporter for the Des Moines Register.

Joseph Romm, editor of the blog ClimateProgress.org. He is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and was Acting Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy during the Clinton administration.

Perry Beeman, Staff writer for the Des Moines Register. He has written a number of award-winning investigative pieces on agribusiness and the environment in Iowa. He is a former president and board member of the Society of Environmental Journalists.