New Delhi, Sept. 23 -- The collateral damage done by global warming becomes more widespread with every passing season. This summer, Europe experienced record-breaking temperatures, with wildfires reported from Greece, France and even the UK, a country long associated with rainy, cold weather. In Europe's cities, medical experts worried about warmer nights than residents were used to, as it can lead to high blood pressure because the body requires cooler temperatures at night for restful sleep.

The collapse of a glacier that caused the horrific flash flood in Nepal, meanwhile, had a high death toll because the country lacks an early warning system (perhaps inevitably) that can respond with superhuman urgency to such a fast-unfolding catas...