Extreme weather conditions such as the flash flooding that swept through the Krasnodar region over the weekend are likely to become increasingly common, a prominent scientist said Sunday.
"Weather conditions such as unexpected, large-scale flooding due to colossal downpours or abnormal heatwaves, which are now extremely rare, will be far more common across the world, including in Russia," Alexei Kokorin, head of WWF Russia's climate and energy program, told RIA-Novosti.
Kokorin explained that the human race was to blame for upsetting our planet's delicate climactic balance. As a result, we can now expect four times as much adverse weather in 20 years' time, he said.
According to the scientist, it is essential that Russian authorities develop an effective response to cope with climactic changes to minimize the threat to the population.
Late Friday night, flooding swamped more than 5,000 homes and killed upward of 150 people in the Krasnodar region.
Authorities are still discovering bodies and assessing the damage caused by the floods, which started after two months' average rainfall fell in the space of a few hours.