Quote: "Farmers have been fretting as Italy's largest river, the Po, has dried up in recent months. The river, running west to east across northern Italy, feeds the broad Po valley which accounts for about a third of the country's agricultural output. Environment Minister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio said the state of emergency had been declared as a precautionary measure. It came a day after neighbouring France imposed water rationing in several of its regions, also in fear of drought.

As has been pointed out, Earth is not the only planet experiencing an unprecedented warm period. Much speculation has been aired over the cause of global warming, whether it is man made or whether it is a natural cycle. Some believe that mankind is not to blame, and that propagandists are using the threat of global warming to impose some New Age Gaia ideology upon us all. Perhaps that's how these New Agers interpret what they are seeing, and really do believe that mankind is a scar on the face of the earth. As reports suggest that Mars may also be experiencing global warming, we must then look to the sun as the cause of this strange phenomenon.

Quote: "Researchers studying images of the Martian surface taken by generations of orbiting spacecraft have found that the planet's most prominent features have darkened and lightened in recent decades, altering the way sunlight reflects from its sandy soils, its rocky heights and its deep craters. The result, say the scientists, is that average global ground temperatures on Mars have risen by more than 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit during the past two decades, while the surface air temperature has risen by a little more than a degree in the same period. That level of climate change, extended over a century, is well within the ballpark of the 5 degree warming trend on Earth forecast by the International Panel on Climate Change for the end of this century.

The Bible states that during the tribulation period, an angel will pour out a vial of judgement from God upon the sun. Revelation says that the angel will be given power to scorch men with great heat. We have seen what damage a small heat wave can do, causing heat related deaths, drought, famine and forest fires. During the tribulation period, as this is a particular judgement upon man, I expect the effects of it will be much greater. The sad thing is despite all these terrible catastrophes, the Bible says men will blaspheme God because of the plagues rather than repent and accept salvation.

Revelation 16:8-9 
And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

Source Reuters, OC Register