“The world is undergoing its sixth major extinction crisis, and as many reports have shown, our warming planet puts many more species at risk of annihilation. A new study published today in Nature takes an even deeper look at the crisis and what ecosystem-wide changes could look like.
“They doesn’t look good. Biodiversity loss is like a game of Jenga – if the world crosses certain temperature thresholds and enough species in an ecosystem die out, the whole structure can collapse. The authors found that due to the climate crisis, ecosystems could abruptly cross those thresholds in a matter of years.”
https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2020/04/entire-ecosystems-could-abruptly-go-extinct-within-this-decade/
“The current run of fine weather could become a record-breaking spell of warmth [in the UK] between now and the bank holiday, as the temperatures start to nudge towards the mid-20s.
“Today, tomorrow and Good Friday could see records of 24C dating back to the 19th century under threat if the patchy cloud clears for long enough, as very warm air arrives, delivering delightful afternoons.”
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/record-breaking-bank-holiday-weather-4030688
“Another road bridge has collapsed in Italy, highlighting maintenance failings which continue to blight the country’s infrastructure…
“It is the third incident involving a road bridge in Italy in recent years…
“A motorway bridge in Liguria also collapsed following a landslide in November last year. A 20m section of the A6 viaduct collapsed after it was hit by a landslide caused by torrential rain.”
“Following a rather mild start to April for much of northern New England, a winterlike storm system is set to rapidly strengthen over the area Thursday to Friday.
“This system has the potential to develop into a bomb cyclone as it travels over southern Quebec to coastal New Brunswick, Canada, into Friday.”
“Parts of South America, particularly the agricultural areas in Brazil and Argentina, are being clobbered by a drought that is threatening to shrink harvest yields.
“To make matters worse, the lack of rainfall has been matched by excessive heat…”
https://www.agriculture.com/news/business/brazil-argentina-clobbered-by-drought
“Tropical Cyclone Harold surged back into a scale-topping Category Five storm on Thursday as it sideswiped Tonga after leaving a trail of destruction across the South Pacific.
“The island kingdom declared a state of emergency late Wednesday as the storm bore down, warning of destructive winds and massive sea surges.”
“While the recent good weather may have provided some relief to the feeling of ‘cabin fever’ for Aucklanders [NZ] staying home, it hasn’t been great for the local water supply.
“A severe drought continues to bite Auckland, particularly in the Hunua and Waitakere ranges which is home to the city’s water storage dams.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/120842524/severe-drought-in-auckland-continues
“Melbourne has had its wettest start to the year in more than a century after 2019 was among the driest on record.
“So far this year the city has had 349 millimetres of rain, the most for the same period since 1911 and just 26 millimetres short of beating all of last year’s precipitation.”
“Water vendors are drowning in business as drought and water shortages splatter across Sattahip district, 30 kms from Pattaya [Thailand].
“Some areas of the district are reporting they have no tap water. Water trucks are running night and day bringing fresh water to residences and businesses.”
https://www.pattayamail.com/news/water-trucks-swimming-in-business-in-dry-thai-town-294736
“In Somalia, climate change is driving rape, sexual violence and intimate partner violence.
“Droughts linked to climate change ravage the landscape with increasing frequency, hurting families who depend on farming and herding animals.”
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