“The number of people on the brink of starvation across Africa’s Sahel region is ten times higher than it was in 2019, the World Food Program (WFP) is warning, while the number of people who are displaced is up by 400%.
“The Sahel, which runs south of the Sahara desert, is encompassing Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, is currently experiencing some of its driest conditions in years.“
“Somalis in crowded camps on ‘brink of death’ as drought worsens…
“Somalia’s displacement camps are coming under intense pressure with more than 300,000 people leaving their homes in search of food and water so far this year as the country experiences its worst drought in decades.”
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/feb/18/somalia-crowded-camps-drought-worsens
“The South African Weather Service has issued a warning for extremely high fire danger conditions expected over the Hantam and Kamiesberg municipalities of the Northern Cape and West Coast District of the Western Cape interior.
“Heatwave conditions with persistently high temperatures are expected over the Cape Metropole and Stellenbosch municipality in the Western Cape until Saturday.”
“Tropical storm Dumako hits northern Madagascar; 2 missing.
“Heavy rains were reported as the storm moved across the island to the Analanjirofo region. Dumako is forecast to continue moving westward to bring winds and rain to northern Mozambique, according to meteorology offices in southern Africa.”
“The impact of climate change can be felt in Turkey, especially after recent unusual weather incidents. Experts say more is in store for the country in terms of rising temperatures.
“The country’s usually warm Aegean and Mediterranean regions, in particular, will experience a further increase in temperatures during the summer.”
“Conflict and climate fragmenting Rojava: new report…
“Rojava, like its neighbours, frequently experiences acute water shortages in the summer months due to a lack of rainfall, with residents in the northeast Syrian city of Hasaka particularly vulnerable to a struggling local water supply. The problem is exacerbated by disputes over water with Turkey…”
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/160220221
“Jordan’s agricultural industry has a significant impact on the country’s water crisis, placing the financial situation of farmers under high pressure, according to farmers and experts.
“For the past 10 years, the agricultural sector in Jordan has been under severe strain, facing issues such as extreme weather, water scarcity and difficulties in trading, according to experts.”
http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/farmers-toil-amid-water-scarcity-trade-challenges
“Iraq’s second largest lake dries up, threatening human lives, agriculture.
“Milh Lake was once a popular destination for tourists to cool down during scorching summer temperatures. It is now experiencing a dangerous drought, threatening the lives of local Iraqis.”
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/080220222
“Uttarakhand: Year after Chamoli floods, body of engineer found.
“More than a year after 27-year-old engineer Gaurav Prasad went missing at NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad project site as flash floods that killed nearly 200 hit Chamoli’s Raini village on February 7, his family cremated his mortal remains in Rishikesh on Wednesday.”
“Hotter and Wetter: Rainfall and Temperatures Rise in Japan in 2021.
“Average rainfall and temperatures were above normal across Japan in 2021.
“The national average for rain was the sixth highest and for temperature third highest on record since 1898.”
https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h01248/
“An intense low-pressure system has been spinning near Japan, dumping record-breaking intense snow. More records may be broken into Friday.
“It’s the same system that dropped heavy snow over Beijing, disrupting the Olympic games on Sunday.”
https://twitter.com/sayakasofiamori/status/1494263333339295750
“How can warmer winters mean more intense snowstorms? An expert explains…
“Akin to warmer temperatures acting as fuel for summer storms to drop significant rainfall, above-average winter temperatures can allow moisture to be stored in the atmosphere and cause subsequent precipitation to be intense.”
“Another Heat Wave in Western Australia… 17th February the temperature shot to 45.4C [113.7F] at Carnarvon on the coast thanks to winds reversal and low humidity.“
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1494304902583050241
“Dire warning Sydney could face ‘extreme heat’ over 35 degrees [95F] for an entire month by 2050 as climate change drives up temperatures…
“…real-world figures have already outstripped these projections, with Lindsay reporting 44 days over 35 degrees in both 2018 and 2019. That number, 44 days of over 35 degrees, exceeds the projected average for 2090 of 42.5 days – 70 years ahead of schedule.”
“Unprecedented drought fuels devastating fires in Corrientes Province [Argentina]…
“The fires are advancing every day, consuming thousands of hectares of land, but heavy smoke is preventing up-to-date satellite measurements from being taken. For now, no casualties have yet been reported by locals.”
“Survivors dig for loved ones as Brazil flood death toll reaches 105…
“Rubens Bomtempo, mayor of the city, was not able to offer an estimate for how many people were missing, as recovery efforts continued. “We don’t yet know the full scale of this,” Bomtempo said. “It was a hard day, a difficult day.””
“Brazil scientists warn of possible election-year spike in deforestation…
“Deforestation researchers warned on Thursday that destruction in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest could rise another 16% this year, based on their models, as destruction often rises in an election year, according to an analysis by a Brazilian non-profit.”
“Paraguay soy crushers, hit by drought, risk running out of beans…
“The landlocked South American country, the world’s fourth largest soybean exporter, is facing its worst soy harvest in a decade, with a drop in production that could see just half the amount of soy versus the previous season.”
“India makes record U.S. soyoil purchases as drought parches South America…
“Indian traders have contracted to import a record 100,000 tonnes of soyoil from the United States because of limited supplies from drought-hit South America, at a time when prices of rival palm oil are scaling record highs, three dealers told Reuters.”
“California’s largest wildfire of 2022 grows uncontained to 1,800 acres near Bishop.
“A wind-driven wildfire that broke out near Bishop in the Owens Valley spurred evacuations and grew to 1,800 acres by Wednesday night, officials said, quickly becoming California’s largest fire of the year so far.”
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-02-16/airport-fire-near-bishop-owens-valley-wildfire
“Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease has hit half of the corals along the Florida Keys, and it’s now targeting the Caribbean.
“A deadly disease is thriving in warmer waters, creating an uncertain future for the Florida coast… Scientists are blaming warmer temperatures for this environmental crisis: Warmer ocean water is helping to fuel this disease that has now attacked 95% of Florida’s coral reefs. The coral is now at risk of extinction.”
“London on RED alert for Storm Eunice: Now Met Office issues most extreme weather warning for capital and South East as 100mph ‘sting jet’ tempest hits…
“Hundreds of schools were closed, all trains in Wales were suspended and rail passengers across England were told not to travel amid mass cancellations as the Army was on standby for what could be the worst storm in 32 years.”
UPDATE: “The Needles on the Isle of Wight recorded a wind gust of 122 mph this morning. This is provisionally the highest gust ever recorded in England.”
“Hamburg ferry passengers injured as Storm Ylenia batters central Europe…
“Storm Ylenia has swept across central Europe today, bringing winds with a speed of up to 100mph that left hundreds of thousands of households without electricity and killing two drivers in Germany…”
“A tornado damaged up to 40 buildings in Dobrzyca Wielkopolskie province, Poland, on Thursday morning, the fire brigade has reported, while in Krakow two construction workers were killed and two others wounded when strong winds felled a crane…
“The National Fire Brigade described the destruction in Dobrzyca as “really massive””…
https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/tornado-damages-buildings-in-west-central-poland-27942
“17th February was a very warm day in France with temperatures up to 24.7C at Les Arcs. Locally it was historic.
“In fact, the city of Toulon had its warmest February day on record with 23.2C / 73.8F (prev. 22.5C on 23-2-1990) and Marignane with 22.5C (prev. 22.4C on 28-2-2019).”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1494354341045719046
“Hoteliers demand to act in the face of the “alarming” drought in Malaga [Spain]…
“”We are risking our future. It can cause very serious problems. The low rainfall of recent months anticipates an imminent drought that, if we do not act urgently and decisively, can put in check the entire tourism sector of the Costa del Sol and the province, “warned the president of Aehcos…”
“Air pollution affecting ability of sperms to swim in right direction: Study…
“In the analysis of sperm of over 30,000 men in China, researchers concluded that reducing air pollution could help increase male fertility and reduce the risk of asthenozoospermia.”
“Conditions at most of the world’s large meat, fish and dairy producers are said to be “incubating” future pandemics, according to a report by the FAIRR Initiative.
“An assessment of the industry as part of the organisation’s Emerging Disease Risk Ranking found that 63% of animal protein producers are failing to take the necessary steps to prevent future zoonotic pandemics.”
https://www.investmentweek.co.uk/news/4045020/majority-meat-industry-incubating-pandemic
“Latest YouGov survey: Has the pandemic changed views on human extinction? “When will human beings go extinct? Perhaps sooner than we first predicted.
“Britons are less sure than they were that humanity is here to stay. The number of those who believe human beings will never die out has dropped by seven points since 2016 to 23%.”
You can read the previous ‘Climate’ thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an ‘Economic’ thread.
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You probably already know … Isle of Wight wind speed record was almost instantly broken by a subsequent gust, 125mph.
https://www.islandecho.co.uk/record-breaking-125mph-winds-at-the-needles-the-strongest-gust-ever-seen-in-england/
Ian, thank you! I hadn’t actually spotted that. I’ll put it in today’s thread. Best wishes, JP