“At least 36 people have been killed after heavy rain caused flooding and landslides in Brazil, authorities say…
“Sao Paulo state government said rain in the region had surpassed 600mm (23.6in) in one day, one of the highest amounts ever in Brazil in such a short period [and shattering many records for Sao Paolo; Bertioga received 694 mm / 27.3 inches]…
“Sao Paulo state has declared a 180-day state of emergency for six cities after what experts described as an unprecedented, extreme weather event.”
“Paraguay: Due to river overflow of an entire community had to be evacuated.
“At least four communities of the Pueblo Pâi are in a severe emergency situation in the area of Pedro Juan Caballero, in the department of Amambay, due to flooding in Paraguay after the overflow of the Aquidabán River.”
“Unseasonal frost wreaks havoc on crops in Argentina.
“Argentina’s meteorologists were predicting it, but of course rural producers preferred not to believe it, but it happened. In some regions of Argentina, frost formed this Saturday morning (18). Well out of season, this early frost affected vast productive areas in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, La Pampa and San Luis.”
https://thegoaspotlight.com/2023/02/19/unseasonal-frost-wreaks-havoc-on-crops-in-argentina-2/
“Wildfires in Chile Raise ‘Great Concern’, says Minister.
” New and reactivated wildfires in south-central Chile are causing great concern in populated areas, the country’s Interior Ministry Carolina Toha said on Saturday, as some have destroyed buildings and left at least three people severely injured.”
https://www.thestkittsnevisobserver.com/wildfires-in-chile-raise-great-concern-says-minister/
“Cuba wildfire threatens hundreds as it nears national park.
“A major wildfire in eastern Cuba was spreading closer to a national park on Monday, threatening hundreds of residents in its path, Cuban state television said Monday. Firefighters were attempting to control the blaze that started this weekend in the mountainous Pinares de Mayari region…”
“‘He baked’: Heat waves are killing more L.A. homeless people who can’t escape broiling sun…
“Although the unhoused population represents about 70,000 of Los Angeles County’s more than 9.8 million people, they accounted for nearly half — 5 in 12 — of deaths from heat illness or heat exposure last year, according to data from the coroner’s office.”
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-19/la-me-homeless-heat-deaths
“Water crisis in West: Massive reservoir Lake Powell hits historic low water level.
“Lake Powell, the nation’s second-largest reservoir and one that provides water and power to millions of people in southern California, has reached its lowest levels since its first filling in the 1960s. Its companion reservoir, Lake Mead, is at levels almost as low.”
“Extreme jet stream to unleash wild week of weather across the Lower 48…
“Record cold will become established across the West, with historically warm February weather in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, including temperatures in the 80s to near 90. In between, the air masses will clash — brewing serious trouble.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/02/20/extreme-weather-record-temperatures-snow/
“The 2022-23 winter season has been the least snowy to date for Bridgeport and the New York City area, the National Weather Service announced Sunday…
“The lack of snow cover is allowing spring plants to emerge unusually early… Last month was the warmest January on record for Bridgeport and the third warmest for Hartford.”
https://www.ctinsider.com/weather/article/ct-least-snowy-winter-to-date-2023-17794286.php
“No ‘meaningful’ rainfall in Shropshire for a whole month after threats of flooding in January [UK]…
“…while it is too early to predict what the summer might bring, environment expert, Dave Throup, says the swings between wet and dry, hot and cold, are an indication of future weather… the weather station at Shawbury currently showed 32 continuous days of less than a millimetre of rain.”
“UK runs short of salad crops and citrus fruits after cold spell in Med.
“Supermarkets are facing shortages of salad crops, including cucumbers, lettuce, peppers and tomatoes, as well as broccoli and citrus fruits amid cold weather in producing countries such as Spain and Morocco [I can confirm an absence of peppers, locally].”
“Exceptional warmth in Europe:
“21.7C [71.1F] at Innsbruck, Austria hottest winter day in Tyrol history; 20.1C in Germany at 720m above sea level; and 91 monthly records of February highest Min. temperatures! Including Munich with 10.3C; 25C in Galicia (Spain) for 2 days in a row; 23.1C in France.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1626992199803060234
“Venice canals start to run dry as low tide and lack of rain hit.
“Weeks of dry winter weather have raised concerns that Italy could face another drought after last summer’s emergency, with the Alps having received less than half of their normal snowfall, according to scientists and environmental groups.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/21/italy-faces-new-drought-alert-as-venice-canals-run-dry
“Extensive flooding in northern Romania on Saturday night left roads damaged and disrupted rail services.
“The worst affected counties were Bistrita and Maramures. A new section of road rebuilt with €2 million of European Union funding two years ago was badly damaged. Rivers burst their banks, leaving homes and farmland flooded and triggering landslides.”
https://www.euronews.com/2023/02/20/floods-in-romania-cause-landslides-and-damage-roads
“South Africa: Flood Wreaks Havoc On Eastern Cape After Weekend of Torrential Rain.
“The body of a six-year-old was recovered on Sunday afternoon while workers are still searching for his mother and his four-year-old sister. Another two boys are missing but presumed drowned after devastating floods ripped through Coffee Bay on the Wild Coast. Torrential rains have left a path of devastation through the Eastern Cape.”
https://allafrica.com/stories/202302200065.html
“Very hot day in South Africa which is under the influence of a strong ridge and berg winds from West to East.
“The area of Durban had temperatures at record levels: Mount Edgecombe, just at its north, rose to 41.4C [106.5F], which is only 0.1C from its highest temperature on records.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1627733763022024706
“Hauling icebergs to Africa: could a bizarre plan to get drinking water actually work? [This again, lol]
“…master mariner Nick Sloane [is] the brains behind the Cape Town plan. Using satellite data to find the best berg, his “team of glaciologists, engineers and oceanographers” plans to catch it in a giant net and pull it by tugboat into the mighty Antarctic Circumpolar Current, and thence into the north-flowing Benguela Current towards South Africa.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00510-6
“‘Millions’ in India, Pakistan at risk of flooding from glacial lakes: What a new study says.
“Around 15 million people across the world face the risk of sudden and deadly flooding from glacial lakes, which are expanding and rising in numbers due to global warming, according to a new study.”
“Shimla, The capital city of Himachal Pradesh [home to many glaciers, of course], on Friday had experienced its warmest February night with minimum temperature at 14.4 degrees [57.9F] which is eleven degrees above normal…
“[This beat the record] of 14.2 degrees Celsius, which was recorded on 23 February, 2015.”
“High February temperatures have India already bracing for more heat waves.
“Last year, Indian meteorologists sounded the first heat wave alert of the year in March, foreshadowing a summer that arrived unusually early — and brought some of the most extreme temperatures in India’s recorded history. This year, they are sounding the alarm even earlier.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/20/india-heat-wave-climate-change/
“India Heat Wave: Another day with temperatures up to 39C [102.2F] in India in this unprecedented winter heat wave (Feb 1953 heat wave was in the last days of February).
“Kota broke its February record with 37.4C,while the capital Delhi with 33.6C barely missed it.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1627649023912935424
“Mauritius grounds flights as it braces for Cyclone Freddy.
“In an address late on Sunday, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said Freddy is an “extremely strong cyclone which is a direct threat” to the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Saint Brandon. He urged people to take all necessary precautions, stay home and remain “vigilant”.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/20/mauritius-grounds-flights-as-it-braces-for-cyclone-freddy
“Pollen levels are expected to double in some areas of Japan this year, triggering sneezing attacks, itchy eyes and — potentially — a drag on consumer spending.
“Record high temperatures last summer gave rise to a decade-high volume of cedar flowers in Japan’s main industrial areas, according to data from the environment ministry.”
“The never-ending fallout of the northern rivers floods [NSW, Australia]: ‘People are just worn down’.
“As the anniversary of the disaster approaches, along with the cyclone season, for those left in the flood’s wake the impact is still unfolding. When the flood waters receded a year ago, for many, the disaster was only beginning.”
“After Cyclone Gabrielle, New Zealand wonders how – and if – to rebuild.
“… the keen desire to preserve a home, and awareness that some of those homes are critically vulnerable to future floods – is now in the minds of tens of thousands of New Zealanders, and a government that faces extremely tough questions in the coming weeks.”
“The Auckland Regional Public Health Service is warning health providers of a potential outbreak of leptospirosis, which could be linked to recent extreme weather events.
“In a statement to primary healthcare providers on Monday it said there had been an increase in the number of cases of the disease reported in the region over the last two weeks.”
“Summer of extremes: Too much water in the North, not enough down South [NZ].
“The contrast between the dry South Island and saturated North is “stark”, with a severe lack of rain on the usually wet West Coast causing “unprecedented” water shortages. Areas around the South Island are extremely dry with fire bans and conserve water notices in place…”
“This may look like a very ordinary seascape, but it isn’t. This view is at 72°S in the Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica, taken from RV Polarstern expedition PS134.
“In a normal year there would be a lot of sea ice in this area, but this year there is none.
“This month has seen a new record minimum in Antarctic sea ice extent since satellite records began more than 40 years ago. In the Bellingshausen Sea most of the ice was gone by the end of November.”
https://twitter.com/rdlarter/status/1627398886686875649
“Stronger El Niño events may speed up irreversible melting of Antarctic ice, research finds.
“Stronger El Niño events due to global heating may accelerate irreversible melting of the Antarctic ice sheet and ice shelves and the rise in sea levels, according to research from Australia’s premier government science agency.”
“What does the return of El Nino mean for the planet – and you?
“…El Nino is likely to push global average temperatures well above the 1.5 deg C threshold, which will significantly raise the risks of drought, floods, and extreme heatwaves. It will also increase the risk of food and water insecurity and poverty for millions of people worldwide.”
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/what-does-the-return-of-el-nino-mean-for-the-planet-and-you
“The ethics of human extinction…
“The astonishing fact is that, despite acquiring the ability to annihilate ourselves back in the 1950s, when thermonuclear weapons were invented, very few philosophers in the West have paid much attention to the ethics of human extinction. Would our species dying out be bad, or would it in some way be good – or just neutral?”
https://aeon.co/essays/what-are-the-moral-implications-of-humanity-going-extinct
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
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The astonishing fact is that, despite acquiring the ability to annihilate ourselves back in the 1950s, when thermonuclear weapons were invented, very few philosophers in the West have paid much attention to the ethics of human extinction.
Ethics? Seems that is low on the list of human concerns …Of course, we classify them in departments, business ethics, war ethics, ethics in sports, ect.
Seems Putin is rattling the nuclear option…displaying the courtesy of nuclear weapon ethics.
Seems all species have a beginning and end…we invented the concept of being somewhat special with our religious beliefs.
Probably be praying while the atomic bombs are being exchanged as these “sane, rational” leaders push the button. Referring to the essay by Thomas Merton s observation concerning the war criminals of WWII Germany
“Ethics? Seems that is low on the list of human concerns…” Right, and there will cease to be a list of human concerns if we are all dead anyway. In the meantime, it’s just so much intellectual onanism.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21455849/putin-speech-ukraine-russia-war/
nuclear threat in deranged speech as he doubles down on Ukraine
Henry Holloway
It’s always the other side that is deranged
Two hour speech of “Hate”
Vince, I recommend not reading The Sun – it is bad for the blood pressure. 😆
consciousness embodied in matter on the earth plane is embodiment of the divine, imo. It seems a shame to let 100m years of evolution go to waste! Unethical is my vote.
And then there is all the suffering among all sentient beings that could be avoided.
Ian, as a parent, I really hate the idea of the human project coming to naught.
As for the issue of consciousness, I agree. As bad as the optics are, I cling to the hope that the Universal Intelligence knows what it is doing, and that, from a higher perspective I cannot grasp, everything is unfolding as it should.
Hello Panopticon.
The Wayside Inn, you know that tavern over there in the middle of nowhere…. a kind of Yorkshire landscape with a road a parking lot and mostly landscape.
Interesting article on the “ethics of doom.”…. I am a graduate philosopher and taught for a while at the University of Amsterdam. …. it was like being thrown back in time…. 🙂
Time for the last round at the ‘Wayside Inn’.
The bartender rings the bell and drunk or not the regulars go home to the next ‘in-depth’ conversation about ‘something very important’.
‘Just another checkout for all your drinks’!!! the bartender shouts as even the philosophers’ cash register has to ring. That’s how it goes at The Wayside Inn….
….Meanwhile in the rest of the world it’s heating up…. No real rain has fallen in France for thirty-one days, according to Météo-France.
Whatever happens, “February 2023 should end with a precipitation deficit of more than 50%, making it one of the driest February months ever recorded since measurements began in 1959.” “Since August 2021, there has been a precipitation deficit in all months except December 2021, June 2022 and September 2022.
In a sign of concern, the government has convened its “first hydrological anticipation and monitoring committee of the year.” The government’s long-awaited water management plan, announced for the end of January, has been postponed for several weeks. In the Pyrénées-Orientales, a drought alert has been in place without interruption since June and the same is now true for most of the Var….
Oh yes and then India… maybe you’ve been once with its billion+ inhabitants…. That promises something in the coming months.
The paradox is of course is that to keep the heat bearable ‘ we’ need lots of energy. and bovedien need to keep the economy running.
And in India those are mostly coal-fired power plants. Coal is expensive and certainly imported coal and therefore the prices measure ‘ equal’ to level the playing field for all….
Coal-fired power plants are expected to burn about 8% more. That’s about 229 gigawatts! About three times as much as countries like France and the UK….
Ah well, one has to think “once it runs out…” as the bartender at The Wayside Inn used to say.
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Coal/India-Invokes-Maximum-Energy-Output-Law-from-Coal-Plants.html
Zip, I wonder if the fading of La Nina might help ease Europe’s drought, as there is a correlation, albeit not a dependable one… Perhaps all we can really count on now is the climate generally tilting to extremes and becoming less hospitable to our species and its endeavours.
The Wayside Inn sounds most convivial. Mine’s a gin & tonic please. 😆
https://earthsky.org/earth/great-lakes-low-ice-cover-winter-2023/
Add this to the growing list of never ending feedback loops
Is that 42 now, as per the Potsdam Institute’s recent study, which identified 41? Either is too many, I suppose. 😬