“A Warming Siberia, Wracked by Wildfires, Nears a Crucial Threshold.
“Nearly 23 million acres burned from 1982 to 2020. But almost half of that occurred in 2019 and 2020, and the region may be near a threshold beyond which extreme fires become more common.
““Global warming is changing the fire regime above the Arctic Circle in Siberia,” said David L.A. Gaveau, one of the researchers. His company, TheTreeMap, monitors deforestation around the world.
“In the Arctic, wildfires can result in the burning of decayed organic matter in peat and thawed permafrost. That releases carbon dioxide, adding to warming and making the goal of reining in climate change more difficult.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/climate/siberia-fires-climate-change.html
“All of the glaciers in Yosemite National Park, Italy’s Dolomite mountains, the continent of Africa, and thousands of other individual ice giants are set to disappear over the next 30 years, according to a new report from the United Nations.
“And, at this point in climate change, the UN says that we’re powerless to stop that loss.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/less-3-decades-away-losing-201500513.html
“Livestock killed and farm damaged as ‘tornado like’ winds hit Wexford [Ireland]…
“Wexford farmer Willie John Kehoe told Agriland that the storm yesterday (Wednesday, November 2) had a “devastating” impact on one farm in the area. He said livestock have been killed and a number may have to be “euthanised” after what is being described as a “tornado like” weather event in parts of Co. Wexford.”
“Brassicas and butterflies: Mild autumn confuses crops and wildlife [UK].
“Farmers are reporting a boom in British-grown greens while wildlife and trees are showing ‘spring-like’ behaviour and disruption to their natural cycle… The Woodland Trust has warned the mild weather has led to confusion in wildlife’s seasonal habits, with butterflies delaying hibernation and ‘spring-like’ activity among amphibians and trees.”
“Cold snap in Czechia expected after record-warm October temperatures.
“A cold snap is expected in Czechia this weekend following an unprecedented warm October, ČTK reports. The daily highs will not exceed 13 degrees Celsius, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ). This is in stark contrast with the most-recent weekend, where daily highs were over 25 degrees Celsius in several Czech regions.”
“Balkans again! On 2nd November North Macedonia recorded its hottest November day on record with 29.9C [85.8F] at Gevgelija.
“30C in Bulgaria, 28.8C in Serbia (0.3C from national record); -6 monthly records broken in France; -Palma Port, Mallorca Island, Spain 27.6C Nov. record tied.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1588191772743593985
“Europe temperatures have increased more than twice the global average, report says: “A live picture of a warming world”.
“The continent is now experiencing the worst warming out of any other on the planet, new data …temperatures in Europe have increased more than double the global average over the past 30 years. From 1991 to 2021, the continent saw an average increase of about 0.5 degree Celsius every decade.”
“Parched underwater: Extreme heat ravages Mediterranean corals.
“Record summer temperatures around the Mediterranean have transformed the once vibrant red and purple coral forests into bleached and brittle marine landscapes, crippling the crucial havens for biodiversity, scientists have revealed.”
“Morocco’s water shortages getting worse.
“The level of dams’ reserves, until November 1, amounts to about 4.03 billion m3, i.e. a filling rate of 25%, against 35% recorded during the same period of last year, said Wednesday Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka.”
https://www.middle-east-online.com/en/morocco%E2%80%99s-water-shortages-getting-worse
“Floods wash away salt and tourism at Senegal’s ‘Pink Lake’…
“At the height of the rainy season in August, water cascaded into the lake, nearly tripling its usual depth to about 6 metres (20 feet), according to Ndiour and environmental activist Ibrahima Khalil Mbaye. The influx washed away some 7,000 tonnes of salt that had been harvested…”
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2022/11/3/floods-wash-away-salt-and-tourism-at-senegals-pink-lake
“Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds, which have been pounding the Midlands province [Zimbabwe] in recent days, have left a trail of destruction in their wake.
“Two schools in Zhombe were ripped apart while pupils and teachers had to scurry for cover under furniture as the hailstorms wreaked havoc.”
https://www.newzimbabwe.com/hailstorms-destroy-schools-in-midlands-in-session-classes-disrupted/
“Climate Crisis Creates ‘Perfect Storm’ for New Outbreaks in Horn of Africa…
“About 47 million people on the greater peninsula — which spans seven countries from Uganda to Djibouti — already face acute hunger, and health risks are rising as some areas enter a fifth dry season while others grapple with flooding and conflict… Disease outbreaks already include the Marburg virus, cholera and wild polio…”
“Middle East extremely vulnerable; heating twice as fast as rest of the world [global average, I’m assuming]…
“The “Living on the Edge” report, which was released just days before the UN climate conference in Egypt, concentrated on Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates.”
“Drought and floods wipe out farms in Asia’s chilli capital…
“Floods that wreaked havoc across Pakistan in August and September, on the back of several years of high temperatures, have left chilli farmers struggling to cope. In a country heavily dependent on agriculture, the more extreme climate conditions are hitting rural economies hard…”
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2022/11/3/photos-drought-and-floods-wipe-out-farms-in-asias-chilli
“Ladakh’s cashmere goats and herders could be lost to climate change…
“Shifting weather patterns have already altered people’s lives through floods, landslides and droughts in Ladakh, an inhospitable yet pristine landscape of high mountain passes and vast river valleys that in the past was an important part of the Silk Road trade route.”
“Southern China at risk of winter drought, drop in hydropower…
“…southern China could see drought or even severe drought,” Shen Yanbo, chief scientist at public service centre of China Meteorological Administration, told a seminar hosted by state-backed Chongqing Gas Exchange.”
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/southern-china-risk-winter-drought-drop-hydropower-2022-11-03/
“‘A nervous wait’: parts of regional NSW brace for worst flooding in 70 years.
“Central west NSW is facing its worst flooding in 70 years, with 22 emergency warnings issued across the state on Friday, including for Wagga Wagga, Gunnedah and Moama. More than 1000 residents in Forbes have been told to leave for higher ground…”
“Waterlogged Australian wheat crop faces extensive quality downgrades.
“Flooding and excessive rains across key parts of Australia’s wheat growing areas have resulted in extensive damage to what was expected to be a record bin-busting high-quality crop just a few weeks ago, exacerbating concerns over world food supplies.”
“Record tumbles as temperatures plummet across parts of south-east Queensland overnight, BOM says.
“A November weather record has been broken on the Darling Downs after a cold snap saw temperatures tumble across south-east Queensland overnight. Toowoomba dropped to just 5.6 degrees Celsius [40.3F] – its coldest November night in the 27 years the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has on record.”
“South America more extreme than ever; the coldest ever seen in November in the tropics.
“Paraguay set a new November national record low with 2.8C [37F] at Pozo Hondo. Asuncion 8.0C also new record. In the Amazons, 13C at Cobija Bolivia 11S, 17C at Iquitos in Peru near the equator.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1587846812156796929
“Historic contrasts in South America: Today Paraguay beat its monthly cold record again with 2.0C [35.6F] at Pozo Hondo. Record at Santa Maria in Brazil with 5.1C.
“In Central Chile 38.0C [104F] at Santa Rita, in Patagonia 30.0C at Bariloche, and today the November heat record of Esquel might fall.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1588221695638241281
“A forest fire in central Chile’s Maule region has razed at least 3,600 hectares, damaged several homes and has yet to be brought under control, authorities said Thursday.
“The fire, which has been burning since Monday in the communes of Molina and Rio Claro, some 200 km south of the capital Santiago, presents a threat to nearby homes, said the country’s National Forestry Corporation in a statement.”
https://english.news.cn/20221104/3342e5217ff043289a38bd74f1c8b24a/c.html
“‘We can’t just pack up our bags and leave’: A Native American tribe in New Mexico is turning to the old ways to fight off wildfires, flooding and megadrought…
“With unsettling speed, climate change has taken a toll on the the pueblo’s 89 square miles (230 square kilometers) that climb from the gently rolling Rio Grande Valley to Santa Clara Canyon…”
https://fortune.com/2022/11/02/new-mexico-tribe-fighting-drought-flooding-wildfires-climate-change/
““It ripples through the entire economy”: Climate change costs cotton farmers billions.
“Many tractors and other farm equipment are sitting idle across Texas as the cotton harvest season gets underway. Climate change is threatening the $7 billion industry. “Never has it ever been this bad,” said Ricky Yantis, a fourth-generation farmer in west Texas.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cotton-farming-texas-economy/
“Tensions rise over drought-stricken Colorado River water use.
“As the Interior Department continues to delay implementing a program to reduce water consumption from the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin, tensions are thickening between the seven states with stakes in the watershed. Now, lawmakers in Congress are fanning the flames…”
https://rollcall.com/2022/11/03/tensions-rise-over-drought-stricken-colorado-river-water-use/
“As Drought Drops Water Level in the Mississippi, Shipwrecks Surface and Worries Rise
“The river has long commanded a sober respect, if not fear… But lately it has provoked a different sort of apprehension, as the consequences of the drought affecting much of the Midwest, High Plains and South reach far beyond the surreal landscape.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/us/mississippi-river-drought.html
“[Snoqualmie] Waterfall [Washington] swells from trickle to rage after historic drought ends with multiple rainstorms.
“The Seattle area set its all-time record for the driest 120-day stretch of weather from mid-June to mid-October – just 0.54 inches. That was a third of what Death Valley received in one day. But then the proverbial switch was flipped in the atmosphere…”
“A huge swath of Canada just saw its warmest October on record.
“If it’s another month, it’s another slate of warm-weather records falling across Canada. The numbers are in, and folks from British Columbia to Newfoundland just lived through their warmest October on record… the anomalies we saw across the country last month are… astonishing in their coverage and intensity.”
“Warm weather breaks records in Manitoba.
“T-shirt weather is not something Manitobans enjoy often in November. Wednesday saw temperatures soar to above 20 degrees [68F] in parts of the province, breaking decades-old weather records in some places.”
https://www.iheartradio.ca/bounce/brandon/warm-weather-breaks-records-in-manitoba-1.18729227
“Another round of record-breaking warm weather for Montreal…
“On Saturday, we are expecting even warmer conditions on gusty southwest winds, with a high near 24C (76F)… The warm and dry conditions are just a continuation of the weather southwestern Quebec experienced in October. The average high in Montreal last month was 10.4C, well above the normal of 8.5C.”
“Scientists Just Discovered a Huge River Hidden Under Antarctica…
“What the new study shows is in Antarctica, there’s enough melting happening at the base of the ice sheets for rivers to form. These channels of high-pressure, fresh water can in turn accelerate the ice melting process as the base of the glacier becomes less stable, at the point where it meets the sea.”
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-just-discovered-a-huge-river-hidden-under-antarctica
“Carbon Emissions Could Make Crops Less Nutritious—And Lead To Protein Deficiency, Study Finds.
“Rising carbon dioxide levels will cause crops to become less nutritious by cutting plants’ nitrogen concentrations, according to a study published Wednesday in Trends in Plant Science, leading millions of people worldwide to face protein and mineral deficiencies as carbon emissions reach an all-time high.”
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
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