“Arctic Wildfires Are Back With Record Blazes in Western Siberia.
“Scientists are worried about the intensity of fires this early in the season… The Arctic suffered the worst wildfire season on record for the second year in a row in 2020.”
“After the new national monthly record of highest temperature with 39.7C [103.5F] few days ago, on 26th May Russia also recorded a new monthly record for its Asian part with 39.1C at Kulunda, which beats the 38.3C [102.4F] set at Slavgorod on 26 May 1980.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1398011863758163972
“Balkan beauty defiled by fractured nation’s tide of pollution: Waste from three countries of the former Yugoslavia pours down the River Drina to create an island of rubbish – no one is willing to tackle the problem…
“In the middle of an emerald green idyll, a dramatic riverscape that inspired one of Europe’s most celebrated writers, birds swoop and pick at a toxic island.”
“The wrong kind of rain: why Britain is not as wet as we think..
“Climate change is bringing ever more extreme weather to Britain. While storms and floods make dramatic headlines, summer heatwaves and droughts threaten to bring severe seasonal water shortages within our lifetimes.”
“Experts predict Iraq-like weather for Spain in the near future.
“Heatwaves at currently unimaginable temperatures will increase throughout the Iberian peninsula in two projected scenarios by 2050, according to a recent study.”
“Namibia: Devastating Drought Persists in Kunene.
“Devastating drought continues to plague communities and livestock in the Kunene region, governor Marius Sheya said. He said the situation remains dire.”
https://allafrica.com/stories/202105260708.html
“More drought predicted for Iran over next 5 years.
“According to the World Meteorological Organization, over the next five years (2021-2025) the average rainfall is expected to be 75 percent lower than normal and the average temperature between 50 to 75 percent higher than the long-term average.”
[Edit: my sensible webmaster points out that this 50 to 75 percent increase cannot possibly be correct. Perhaps they are talking about the deviation of the increase?]
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/461371/More-drought-predicted-for-Iran-over-next-5-years
“Sri Lanka braces for major oil spill as cargo vessel expected to sink.
“Apart from the 325 metric tonnes of fuel in its tanks, the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel was loaded with 1,486 containers carrying about 25 tonnes of hazardous nitric acid.”
“Rapid heating of Indian Ocean worsening cyclones, say scientists.
“The Indian subcontinent has been facing the brunt of costly and deadly tropical cyclones for decades. But scientists say global heating is accelerating the rate of ocean warming, leading to an increased number of cyclones and rapid intensification of weak storms, with severe repercussions for the country.”
“Cyclone Yaas batters India’s east coast leaving tens of thousands homeless.
“At least three people died and tens of thousands were made homeless when a powerful cyclone swept into eastern India from the Bay of Bengal on Wednesday, inundating hundreds of low-lying villages, officials said.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/26/india/india-cyclone-yaas-impact-intl-hnk/index.html
“An all-time record rainfall triggered by the cyclone Yaas in Similipal on Wednesday night left many rivers originating from the area in spate…
“As per reports, Bhanjabasa recorded 382mm [over 15 inches] of rainfall.”
“Gajuwaka in Visakhapatnam for the first time recorded about 42 degrees Celsius [107.6F] this season, which was said to be the highest in the last 43 years. The last time the city crossed 42 degrees Celsius was on May 19, 1978…
“The sudden spurt in temperatures was mainly attributed to Cyclone Yaas sapping moisture in the region.”
“China has swung into gear to fortify its flood-defense network ahead of what may be a heavy flood season, with 97 rivers across the country having already exceeded warning levels as of Thursday.
“Observers said the Three Gorges project will be able to handle greater flooding than last year, so there’s no need to hype the “deformation theory.”
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1224700.shtml
“China says its sea levels have risen 3.4 mm a year from 1980-2020.
“China’s coastal sea waters have risen by 3.4 millimetres per annum over the 1980-2020 period and hit their third highest level on record last year, the country’s environment ministry said on Wednesday.”
“Scientists warn of bad year for fires in Brazil’s Amazon and wetlands.
“Dry weather this year raises the risk of severe fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands, scientists say, warning that a drought could fuel destruction of biomes critical to curbing climate change.”
“At least 1,500 evacuated by floods in the Caribbean of Guatemala.
“Some 1,500 people were evacuated from their homes on Thursday due to floods caused by recent rains in a Caribbean town of Guatemala, in the east of the country, reported a source from Civil Protection.”
“What heat! The thermometer could reach 45c [113F] in Sinaloa [Mexico].”
“Drought conditions could worsen California wildfires that have already burned 5 times more land this year than same time last year…
“Just last year, wildfires ravaged more than four million acres up and down California, accounting for roughly 4% of all the land in the state. Four of the largest wildfires in the state’s history burned last year alone.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/26/us/california-wildfires-burn-5-times-more/index.html
““It’s really bad for us”. Water managers prepare for severe drought across the state [Nevada].
“For the past few weeks, I’ve heard variations of the same line: “This is one of the worst water years I’ve seen in a long time.” The drought is visible on the ground. There is less snow on the mountains and less water running off into streams. Soil is dry and reservoirs are far below full.”
“Trees in the Ozarks struggling to catch up to the season… It’s a picture-perfect morning in the Ozarks… But there’s something wrong with the picture this spring. It’s May 25 and a lot of the trees do not have all of their leaves.
“According to Eric Driskell, who works for Falwell Tree Service in West Plains, cold weather and excessive moisture could be the culprits.”
https://www.kfvs12.com/2021/05/26/trees-ozarks-struggling-catch-up-season/
“The past twenty years have been the hottest that Yellowstone has seen in the 1,250 years of records.
“A team of researchers from the University of Idaho in Moscow took samples of living and dead Engelmann spruce trees from high elevations in and around the US national park. From this, they were able to extend the record of max summer temperatures by more than 1,000 years.”
“This Arctic mine is a warning the world must heed… As the Arctic thaws, developers are rushing to take natural resources…
“What’s happening at Mary River reflects a bigger question, says Bernauer: whether or not mining under our current economic system can ever be done sustainably. “If [companies] want to stay in business, eventually they’re going to have to do what it takes to keep those profits flowing.””
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/arctic-mine-expansion
“From suicide to ‘eco-anxiety’, climate change spurs mental health crisis.
“Intensifying climate change impacts, from fiercer heatwaves to more flooded homes, are driving a growing mental health crisis around the world whose costs are so far underestimated and poorly understood, researchers said on Wednesday.”
https://news.trust.org/item/20210526120959-puazp
“‘Time is running out’: Planet on course to hit a critical temperature limit soon.
““There is about a 40% chance of the annual average global temperature temporarily reaching 1.5° Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial level in at least one of the next five years — and these odds are increasing with time,” the World Meteorological Organization said…”
[They are defining pre-industrial as 1850. If you use the IPCC’s original 1750 baseline, we very likely already breached 1.5C in the El Nino year of 2016].
You can read the previous ‘Climate’ thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an ‘Economic’ thread.
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They are defining pre-industrial as 1850. If you use the IPCC’s original 1750 baseline, we very likely already breached 1.5C in the El Nino year of 2016].
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/27/time-is-running-out-planet-set-to-hit-critical-temperature-limit-soon.html
Yup, I’m getting a special high strength handle put on my hat in anticipation of the next El Nino.
Good thinking, Louis. The next El Nino year is going to be *crazy*.