Massive floods that have engulfed Poland and Central European countries and caused the deaths of dozens of people are caused by global climate change, as are other similar cataclysms around the world, said Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former adviser to the UN Secretary-General on climate change Rae Kwon Chung. Record fires have engulfed South America, bringing black rain, green rivers and toxic air to the continent. Drought and prolonged heat have caused forest fires in the Bryansk region of Russia. At least 503 people have died in Chad as a result of floods, as of September 24. Coastal flooding due to high tides is becoming an increasingly common occurrence in most parts of the United States.