IT’S been a very wet year globally, and is likely to be even wetter in the future as warmer air holds more water vapour.

Because the Houston area and the Hurricane Harvey widespread flooding dominated our viewing we probably missed what’s been happening in south east Asia. While at the last count around 80 Texans died the Asian total was over 3,000 and rising.

We get upset when there’s flooding in the Aire valley, or in York but we can’t comprehend what it must be like when over half the country is under water – just imagine the UK lowlands waist deep in water all the way from Birmingham to the south coast.

We similarly become very concerned when the insurance companies raise their rates or expect us to pay for the initial damage. However we should be relieved that we don’t live in Bangladesh, or Nepal, where flood insurance isn’t available or is far too expensive.

This year has been particularly difficult with record amounts of rain falling in very short periods, such as the 300mm, a foot, of rain falling in Mumbai in just short of nine hours – we would suffer if it was 19 days!

It’s the annual monsoon season, and deluges are expected, but it’s been record setting this year, with remarkably intense rainfall totals resulting in flooding and landslides. Over 45 million folk have been flooded out of their homes leading to over 3,000 deaths, more than double the average since 1997.

This is the expected effect of more CO2 in the atmosphere, and while India produces less than two tonnes per person per year, and Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan below one, other countries contribute their larger emissions with the US and Australia at 18 tonnes, Russia 12, the UK, Poland and Germany around eight, and, of course, China around six tonnes per person.