“Chinese City Experiences Coldest Temperature in Nation’s Records – the temperature in Mohe, a city in northern China’s Heilongjiang province, dropped to -53C (-63.4F) on Jan. 22.”
[Given that temperatures exceeded 47C in Xinjiang last year, as China endured possibly the world’s worst recorded heatwave, the nation has now seen temperatures span a range of 100C+ within the past seven months].
“Two die, seven missing after flash flood hits holidaymakers on China’s Yellow River.
“At least two people are dead and seven remained missing on Monday after families celebrating Lunar New Year were swept away in a sudden flood from China’s Yellow River, state media reported. Video of the tragedy circulated widely on social media…”
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/flood-01232023124337.html
“At least 104 people have been killed in Afghanistan by a powerful cold wave and flash floods in recent weeks, the Taliban government said on Monday.
“The Taliban’s decision to ban women from working in nonprofits, which led to many organizations pulling out of the country, has been criticized for leaving millions of Afghans without crucial assistance.”
https://www.laprensalatina.com/cold-wave-flash-floods-kill-at-least-104-in-afghanistan/
“El Niño could worsen India’s inflation worries in 2023…
“The annual monsoon rains are usually the worst-hit by this phenomenon. Considering how important these rains are for its agricultural sector and the overall economy, El Niño is a major cause for worry for India, which is already battling inflation.”
https://qz.com/el-nino-could-worsen-indias-inflation-worries-in-2023-1850017444
“Sundarbans has ‘lost 110 square kilometres of mangroves in two decades’.
“West Bengal has lost 110 square kilometres of mangroves in the Sundarbans in the past two decades due to climate change and global warming, according to experts. They said the “climate refugees”, who have been forced to migrate from various islands in the Sundarbans, are facing the rage of nature.”
“India and surrounding countries are warming up fast. A couple of records were set today. In India Pantnagar 28.6C new record high for January.
“In Nepal 29.3C at Dhangadhi – also warmest January day on records and close to the Nepali national record. More records are on the way…”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1617560417215168521
“Over 21,000 Affected by North Aceh Floods [Sumatra, Indonesia].
“The Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) of North Aceh district, Aceh province, has reported that 21,389 people from 4,234 families have been affected by the floods in the region over the past three days. The floods have been caused by the overflow of several rivers due to heavy rain…”
https://en.tempo.co/read/1683181/over-21000-affected-by-north-aceh-floods-bpbd
“Argentine government, farm exporters seek relief from historic drought.
“Argentine Economy Minister Sergio Massa met with agricultural exporters on Friday to analyze and “seek solutions” to help the country’s key grain industry after it was hammered by the worst drought the country has faced in at least 60 years. The dry spell is contributing to a broader economic slump battering the South American country…”
“Record hot day… in Western Cuba: Santa Lucia (Pinar del Rio Province) pulverized its January record of highest temperature with 33.2C [91.8F]. Pinar del Rio fell 0.1C short with 31.4C.
“In the Isla de la Juventud (Youth Island) new record at Punta del Este with 31.4C [a location of particular interest, as it it is the site of the world’s largest panopticon!].”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1617685592971804672
“Historic day in Miami. Today 23 January the Miami Int.
AP rose to 88F/31C which ties its hottest January day on records (=19 Jan 1987 and 27 Jan 1984).
“Yesterday 89F at Big Pine Key, just 1F from the Floridian hottest January day on records.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1617619297521790976
“California strawberry industry could see $200 million in losses due to storm damage…
“According to the California Strawberry Commission, due to the onslaught of rain, wind and flooding, 1,840 acres of strawberry crops are facing losses that could reach $200 million from crop, property, and equipment damage.”
“Ghost Squirrels: Numbers in Texas down 92% from 2020.
“Many who lived through the polar vortex will remember it as a chaotic week when Texas froze over and all sorts of problems followed impacting millions of people as well as fish and wildlife populations.”
“New York City’s snow drought nears all-time record.
“The Big Apple is just days away from breaking a record that might seem unimaginable: the latest date to see measurable snowfall in recorded history. While the city has seen precipitation since the winter season officially began, it has primarily come in the form of rain instead of snow due to abnormally warm temperatures.”
https://www.aol.com/weather/york-citys-snow-drought-nears-232032584.html
“Scallops dying off in Long Island are ‘a cautionary tale’ for New England…
“Data shows over the past two decades, the Peconic Bay estuary — and the entire Northeast — are warming at rates during summer that far exceed global average; Gobler said, “about threefold higher.” “We found that when placed in areas that were experiencing heatwaves, all the scallops died, whereas the ones that were in cooler temperatures, they survived,” he said.”
https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/01/23/scallop-death-massachusetts-climate-change
“Preparing for ‘Firmageddon,’ researchers watch B.C.’s forests for die-offs and droughts.
“Across the Pacific Northwest, firs are dying in record numbers as beetles, extreme heat and fires test the trees’ endurance… “We’re calling it Firmageddon,” said Danny DePinte, who runs the aerial survey program for Oregon and Washington State, in an interview. “Or, Fir Zombie Land.””
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-fir-trees-drought-heat-waves/
“Environment Canada believes January [in New Brunswick] could become one of the warmest ever since weather records began in the late 1800’s.
““The whole province of New Brunswick is running nearly six degrees above normal in terms of the mean temperature for the month and that is very much above normal,” noted Maepea.”
https://www.919thebend.ca/2023/01/23/january-could-be-warmest-ever-in-n-b/
“Emergency pesticide authorisation approved to protect national sugar beet crop [UK].
“Defra has approved an emergency temporary authorisation for the use of a neonicotinoid pesticide treatment on this year’s sugar beet crop due to the risk to the crop from yellows viruses.”
“More than 13,000 trees will be planted to replace the newly-planted ones which died in Gloucester [UK] after not being watered during last summer’s drought.
“Gloucester City Council planted thousands of new saplings across all the city’s wards last year. But the trees died due to lack of water during the summer heatwave.”
https://www.gloucesterbid.uk/news/council-to-13500-trees-to-replace-those-killed-in-drought
“Volunteers plant mini-forests in Paris to slow climate change, tackle heatwaves.
“French volunteers are using a pioneering Japanese tree-planting method to create pocket forests in Paris in the hope they will slow climate change, create biodiversity hotspots and tackle the growing number of heatwaves in the capital.”
“Europe Sees Record-breaking Hailstorms As Severe Weather Disrupts Life & Damages Houses.
“Amid winter storms, 8,224 large hail have been reported in 2022 which exceeded 2021’s record by nearly 2,800 reports, said the European Severe Storms Laboratory (ESSL)…”
“Records come and go in this wild 2023 full of extreme weather so far. On 22nd January the station of Tepak in Cyprus, with the support of fohn winds from the Trodos Mountains, rose to 25.5C [78F] which is a new record for January in Cyprus.
“Mild weather will continue for 4/5 days.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1617145061321412608
“Van’s Çaldıran [Turkey] embraces sudden spring amid extra-mild winter.
“Eastern Van province’s Çaldıran district, usually one of the coldest spots in Türkiye with record-breaking frigid temperatures, remained snowless this winter due to the effects of global warming. In fact, the region has embraced a surprising spring instead.”
https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/vans-caldiran-embraces-sudden-spring-amid-extra-mild-winter/news
“Weather tracker: Storm Cheneso brings flooding risk to Madagascar.
“Storm likely to bring huge rainfalls to African country this week… Rainfall totals of 75-100mm are expected each day, bringing storm totals in excess of 500mm [nearly 20 inches] – approaching the average annual rainfall in the west coast town of Morondava of 764mm.”
“Locals resort to dirty water amid scarcity [Uganda]…
“Ms Joyce Nagudi, another resident, says her family often suffers from diarrhoea, which she blames on drinking contaminated water… Ms Joan Nambozo, a resident of Nabweya Ward in Northern City Division, says most of the boreholes in the area have dried up.”
https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/locals-resort-to-dirty-water-amid-scarcity-4095192
“Heatwave, load shedding blamed for Johannesburg’s latest water woes…
“High temperatures, in most of the country since the second week of January, have been especially severe in the Northern Cape. Johannesburg suffered severe water restrictions last year after Rand Water, which purifies water from the Vaal Integrated System and sells it to Joburg Water, throttled its water supply in October.”
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
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In France, just today, a decision was taken following a European court ruling to disallow neonicotinoid pesticide after three exceptional years precisely. Environmentalist happy, farmers furious. France is the largest producer of sugar beet in Europe and is now afraid of ‘ distortion of competition’. The agriculture minister promises support measures in case the harvest fails just like in 2020 when a third of the crop was lost.
It is a complex problem like many other conflicts related to organic farming. What is certain is that ‘we’ use far too many sugars in anything and everything.
https://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/la-france-renonce-a-autoriser-les-neonicotinoides-pour-les-semences-de-betterave-20230123
Zip, that is very sensible of France, given how harmful neonicotinoids are to bees. I’m not surprised by the UK though. This government has a dismal record on the environment:
“The recently appointed Environment Secretary presided over an average of a new sewage dump every four minutes in her previous stint as water minister, new research suggests.”
https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/sewage-was-dumped-every-four-minutes-during-therese-coffeys-three-years-as-water-minister-2056743
“Tories accused by own watchdog of failing to keep environment promises…
“”The environment secretary, only three months into the role, has already moved the situation from dismal to downright dangerous, by breaching her own environmental targets and announcing a plan that inflicts more toxic air and sewage dumping, for longer.””
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/19/uk-watchdog-failing-to-keep-environment-promises-england-improvement-plan-wildlife-delcine
Your sewerage problem is proof of the law of inhibition. 🙂 I made a documentary some time ago about the Victorian sewers in Liverpool and the rat infestations in some deprived areas. Then let yourself descend into the complex brick corridors of the fantastic structures that made Britain great. Complex ganagnelles with a beautiful modern Harbourfront by the way.
It did stink I can tell you and that is of all times just like rats and poverty and slums for that matter.
Zip, as you probably know, our Victorian sewers in London were the work of the brilliant Joseph Bazalgette, the grandson of a French immigrant. Google tells me that the sewers in Liverpool were the work of Scotsman, James Newlands, and were the first integrated sewerage system in the world (1848) – interesting!
sorry but my english let me down for a moment
The law of the handicap of a head start (original Dutch: Wet van de remmende voorsprong), first-mover disadvantage, or dialectics of lead, is a theory that suggests that an initial head start in a given area may result in a handicap in the long term. The term was coined in 1937 by Jan Romein, a Dutch journalist and historian, in his essay “The dialectics of progress” (“De dialectiek van de vooruitgang”), part of the series “The unfinished past” (Het onvoltooid verleden). The mirror image of the law – an initial arrears in a given area may stimulate a development leading to a long-term advantage – is known as the law of the stimulative arrears. This concept contrast with first-mover advantage.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_handicap_of_a_head_start
Ah, I see – thank you. “This results in the individual or group that started out ahead eventually being overtaken by others.” The law is new to me but it articulates something I had vaguely intuited.