“Climate tipping points could lock in unstoppable changes to the planet. How close are they?
“In our new assessment of the past 15 years of research, myself and colleagues found that we can’t rule out five tipping points being triggered right now when global warming stands at roughly 1.2°C. Four of these five become more likely as global warming exceeds 1.5°C.
“These are sobering conclusions.”
https://phys.org/news/2022-10-climate-unstoppable-planet.html
“The Arctic is going crazy.
“The current GFS forecast for Oct. 17 shows large parts of Greenland more than 24°C (43°F) above average. Just another summer day in October. Where did the cold Arctic air go? Check out the East/Central US & Canada.”
https://twitter.com/EliotJacobson/status/1579101878851604482
“At the gateway to the Arctic [Churchill, Hudson Bay], a world in turmoil.
“Sled dog breeder David Daley lives at the gateway to the Canadian Arctic, occupying a front-row seat to the march of global warming, and he senses calamity ahead. “For all the devastation that we’re doing to her, she’s not going to sit still, our planet Mother Earth will punish us,” Daley says.”
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20221010-at-the-gateway-to-the-arctic-a-world-in-turmoil
“Forecasters tracking new storm for Alaska’s Arctic coast.
“A fall storm packing strong winds damaged roofs and windows in parts of western and northwest Alaska and resulted in flooding of roads in the far northern city of Utqiagvik, according to damage reports, with a new storm expected to hit the Arctic coast this week.”
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/forecasters-tracking-storm-alaskas-arctic-coast-91251799
“‘Huge financial loss’: Nova Scotia maple farmer loses half of crop from storm Fiona.
“Maple trees at a Nova Scotia farm took nearly a century to grow but were decimated within just hours during post-tropical storm Fiona. The farm owner says the devastating loss hasn’t even sunk in yet.”
https://globalnews.ca/news/9186617/hurricane-fiona-ns-maple-farm-struggle/
“Today marks the 93rd consecutive day [since July 7] with no rain > 1 mm at Victoria YYJ [airport, British Columbia]!
“That’s absolutely insane and of course it’s an all-time record since records began in 1940. The previous record was… 60 days (1986)! Given the models, we could go up to 105 days!”
https://twitter.com/ThierryGooseBC/status/1578925802603044864
“BC Wildfire Service crews are battling a wildfire that has sparked in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island…
“A special weather statement has been issued for strong winds in the region by Environment Canada… It’s another stark reminder that B.C’s wildfire season is not over, as the province is experiencing drought conditions across the province.”
https://globalnews.ca/news/9187765/duncan-bc-wildfire-vancouver-island/
“Heat doesn’t want to leave in Western USA & Canada: temperatures are still typical of summer from the Sacramento Valley to British Columbia.
“Yesterday 100F at Redding, California; in Oregon up to 94F and record for the latest 87F at Portland and 89F at Hillsboro. Another summer week is ahead.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1579185578788425729
“Increasing hail damage in Nebraska and elsewhere spurs call for more research.
“Golf-ball-sized hail from an early June storm damaged thousands of homes and vehicles in the greater Omaha metro area… Nationally, the price tag of those storms is climbing as hailstorms occur in more populous areas of the country… Research indicates that the nature of hailstorms is changing, too — they are dropping larger stones and fewer smaller ones.”
“Expert: ‘Whiplash’ between wet season and drought is toppling historic trees in Minneapolis.
“Trees are dying in Minneapolis’ historic Loring Park. The first tree toppled in August. Shortly after, another one was gone. On Sunday, a third was slated to be scrapped. Professor Lee Frelich has an unfortunate hypothesis/ “They’re dying all over the city,” Frelich said. “A really old tree can’t make those shifts.””
“‘The US dammed us up’: how drought is threatening Navajo ties to ancestral lands…
““When we think about how to address climate change, we sometimes forget that past US policies and actions have led to conditions in which some groups are burdened more by climate change than others,” said Justin Farrell, a Yale professor and the study’s lead author, to National Public Radio.”
“A World War II-era boat has emerged at Shasta Lake, the latest historical reveal caused by the continuing drought in the Western United States.
“Shasta-Trinity National Forest posted photos of the discovery Sunday morning on its Twitter page… The USS Monrovia was launched in 1942 and among other duties was used by Gen. George S. Patton ahead of the invasion of Sicily in summer 1943.”
“Drought conditions drop Mississippi River waters, exposing early 19th-century shipwreck.
““In 1992, it was exposed, an archeological firm did some work. At that time, it was not nearly as exposed as it is now,” McGimsey said. With shockingly-low water levels, McGimsey says 90% of the half of the hull that’s left is now exposed…”
“Hurricane Julia hits Nicaragua with torrential rainfall…
“The storm was forecast to emerge over the Pacific and skirt the coasts of El Salvador and Guatemala, a region already saturated by weeks of heavy rains. It was expected to dissipate by Monday night. In Guatemala, storms since early May had already caused at least 49 confirmed deaths, with six people missing.”
“Venezuela floods kill 25 after month’s worth of rain falls in eight hours…
“The downpour on Saturday night swept large tree trunks and debris from surrounding mountains into the town of Tejerias, 67km south-west of the capital, Caracas, damaging businesses and farmland, according to the vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez.”
“Worst September on record for Amazon deforestation.
“Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon broke the monthly record for September, according to official figures, triggering calls from environmentalists to vote far-right President Jair Bolsonaro out of office later this month.”
https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2022/1007/1327812-brazil-deforestation/
“Even a Lula Victory May Not Restore Brazil’s Forests…
“The central plank of Lula’s forest policies has always been a sort of devil’s bargain: In return for protection for the Amazon rainforest, soy and beef farming would see few restrictions in the cerrado savannahs, a less renowned biodiversity hotspot of open forest and grasslands that stretches to the south and east.”
“North American gray whale counts dwindling for the last two years.
“US researchers say the number of gray whales off western North America has continued to dwindle during the last two years, a decline that resembles previous population swings over the past several decades but is still generating worry.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/08/north-american-gray-whale-counts-dwindling-noaa
“Number of butterflies in UK falls to lowest since surveys began…
“Randle said that factors in the loss of butterflies in towns and cities include the popularity of plastic grass, the paving over of front gardens for parking spaces, “garden grabbing” by developers and rising levels of nitrates from traffic, which affect butterflies’ food plants.”
“Record excess deaths in UK’s heatwave summer.
“As the UK endured record high temperatures of 40C this summer, there were around 3,000 more deaths in the over-65s than usual in England and Wales – the highest figure since 2004. The data comes from a report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63171417
“Rijksmuseum ‘sinking’ as record drought rots wooden foundations.
“There are fears that the Dutch national museum is sinking as Amsterdam becomes vulnerable to rotting wooden pilings caused by the worst drought in 500 years. Up to a million homes across the Netherlands face a similar predicament.”
“Climate change: Toll taken on a south of France village. Two decades of visiting the Languedoc has afforded Colm Keena insight into life getting harder for its inhabitants…
“We talked about the intensity of the heatwave and, most of all, its early arrival. There was no missing my neighbour’s dismay and her sense of dread… all the while the weather was changing…”
“Wildlife abandons ‘Europe’s Amazon’ nature reserve.
“The human and material cost of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is well documented. But rare species of animals and flowers that had flourished in the country’s north have also been badly hit by the invaders’ destructive use of weaponry and landmines, with fears they will take decades to recover.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-63011640
“The heat across the entire continent of Africa is incredible. Reaching 40C plus in the North and the south – with Augrabies Falls in South Africa hitting 41.7C – in springtime.
“There’s little escape from thermal intolerance in any region.”
https://twitter.com/PGDynes/status/1578854813894574080
“Brutal heat in Southern Africa yesterday: With the support of local berg (fohn) winds temperatures shot to an exceptional 46.0C [114.8F] at Moti in Eswatini (former Swaziland), the highest ever recorded in the country in October.
“In South Africa 43.7C at Komatidraai.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1579383733387304960
“At least 85 people are estimated to have lost their lives when an overloaded boat capsized in a flood-swollen river in Nigeria’s Anambra [engine failed]…
“”The boat reportedly carrying 85 persons capsized following rising floods in the Ogbaru area of the state, with emergency services confirming a death toll of 76,” said Buhari’s office.”
Turkey breaks its October heat record again: “Brutal heat in Turkey and Middle East: On 7th October the temperature rose to 41.4C [106.5F] at Harran and 40.2C at Cizre.
“This heat is unprecedented for so late in the year. Two days ago 44.9C at Mehran in Iran, the highest this October so far worldwide.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1578827597961900033
“What a summer.
“China’s summer temperature average blew out their previous summer-average record by more than 0.5 °C (1 °F).”
https://twitter.com/RARohde/status/1578413230816301057
“The first days of October witnessed nearly 1000 heat records in China, Japan and Koreas, but in a matter of 2 days the turnaround was drastic:
“…temperatures at record cold levels, freezing near sea level in North Korea (-10C at 1300m) and very early snowfall like in Shenyang, China.“
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1579366127502696448
“Since 2000, Global Warming Has More than Doubled Extreme Ocean Warming Events Over Japan.
“Every severe ocean warming event in the current climate is linked to global warming, according to the lead author, Michiya Hayashi, a research associate at NIES… ”
“Flash floods have been hitting parts of Cambodia, leaving at least four people dead, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen has said.
“In a voice message released publicly on Saturday, Hun Sen said that rainwater flooding has also forced the evacuation of a number of affected families to higher ground…”
“Five people were killed after the last few days’ rainfall inundated parts of Bali with floods, while dozens of others situated in tourist hotspots had to be evacuated out of their villas…
“We urge people to stay vigilant toward extreme weather that can cause floods, inundated areas, landslides, strong winds, broken trees, and more. If you are in emergency situations, please call our emergency numbers…””
https://coconuts.co/bali/news/5-killed-dozens-evacuated-as-floods-inundate-parts-of-bali/
“As oceans rise, are some nations doomed to vanish? If rising seas engulf the Maldives and Tuvalu, will those countries be wiped off the map? And what happens to their citizens?
“The prospect is no longer science fiction as global warming gathers pace, posing an unprecedented challenge to the international community, and threatening entire peoples with the loss of their land and identity.”
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20221010-as-oceans-rise-are-some-nations-doomed-to-vanish
“Glacier grief: how funerals and rituals can help us mourn the loss of nature.
“From mountain top ceremonies to immersive art, people are finding new ways to express feelings of grief – and guilt – when nature ‘dies’… Just as populations over the millennia have dealt with grief towards loss of human life through rituals, the climate emergency and growing feelings of “ecological grief” have seen the emergence of events and memorials to mark the loss of nature.”
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back on Monday with an “Economic” thread.
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