Daily updates on climate change and the global economy.

Daily updates on climate change and the global economy.
Stay current with what’s happening around the world with a quick scan of top news.

Daily updates on climate change and the global economy.
Stay current with what’s happening around the world with a quick scan of top news.

Daily updates on climate change and the global economy.
Stay current with what’s happening around the world with a quick scan of top news.

Daily updates on climate change and the global economy.
Stay current with what’s happening around the world with a quick scan of top news.

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Cyclone Mocha threatens world’s largest refugee camp on Myanmar-Bangladesh border.

“Cyclone Mocha is predicted to make landfall on Sunday near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, according to India’s meteorological office, packing winds of up to 175km/h (108mph).

The office predicted a storm surge of between two and two-and-a-half metres (six to eight feet) for the low-lying coastal region, which on the Bangladeshi side is home to sprawling camps hosting hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees. Most of them fled there after a military-led crackdown in Myanmar in 2017.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/13/cyclone-mocha-threatens-worlds-largest-refugee-camp-on-myanmar-bangladesh-border


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Singapore schools relax rules on uniforms as Asia battles record sweltering temperatures.

“Singapore’s education ministry says schools can explore ways to help students manage the heat, such as allowing pupils to wear physical education attire. Temperature records continue to be shattered across Asia…”

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3220372/singapore-schools-relax-rules-uniforms-asia-battles-record-sweltering-temperatures


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Malaysia keeps eye on food supply as heatwave seen until August…

“The situation remains under control for now, but the net food importer is prepared to “ramp up the emergency response” should things take a turn for the worse, said Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, the country’s minister for natural resources, environment and climate change.”

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/asean/malaysia-keeps-eye-food-supply-heatwave-seen-until-august


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Record heat is near allover in the tropics these weeks: Borneo, both Indonesian and Malaysian parts is also with record high temperatures and Singapore is not spared.

“The tiny country has never exceeded 37C [98.6F] in its history, yet these days is exceeding 36C regularly (36.2C today).”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1656971892291432451


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“And finally …the Philippines too

“Yesterday 11 May the southern city of Zamboanga in Mindanao Region, rose to 37.4C [99.3F], which is its hottest May day on records and 2nd hottest day overall behind the 37.9C set in April 2020.”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1656917127247323138


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El Nino May Slash Thai Rice Crop and Spur Inflation Across Asia.

Thailand, the world’s second-biggest rice exporter, is asking farmers to grow only one crop this year — instead of the usual two — as a likely El Nino looks set to reduce rainfall. Rice is highly water-intensive and is dependent on irrigation and enough precipitation…”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-12/el-nino-may-slash-thai-rice-crop-and-spur-inflation-across-asian-economies


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Scarce drinking water in North Korea during severe spring drought.

“…satellite evidence shows that many of the country’s reservoirs have shrunken, sometimes dramatically, over the past year. State media reported Tuesday that a lack of water could make food shortages worse, and there was a “nationwide effort” to try to save crops from damage.”

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/drought-05102023090141.html


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Are New Zealand’s marine heatwaves a warning to the world?

“… New Zealand’s waters are changing, and those who watch them closely – anglers and divers, fish farmers and scientists – have reported unusual signs: mass deaths, disappearing species, changing animal behaviour.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2023/may/13/are-new-zealands-marine-heatwaves-a-warning-to-the-world


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Whales in the Southern Ocean are becoming increasingly thinner due to global warming, suggests study…

“”Right whales are 25 percent thinner than they were in the 1980s. This is bad for the whale population, because it means that the newborn whale calves have a higher risk of dying. Fortunately, the right whales in the Southern Ocean are not endangered, but if this continues, they could become so,” he says.”

https://phys.org/news/2023-05-whales-southern-ocean-thinner-due.html


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‘Sea butterfly’ life cycle threatened by climate change may impact Southern Ocean ecosystem…

“Dr Clara Manno, a researcher at the British Antarctic Survey and the corresponding author of the study published in Frontiers in Marine Science, said that the decrease in pteropod populations in the Antarctic Ocean could have significant consequences for the food web and carbon cycle.”

https://www.newswise.com/articles/climate-change-imperils-sea-butterfly-lifecycle


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How the invasion of a tiny insect is altering Antarctica’s soil & its ecosystem…

“Antarctica’s Signy Island, half of which is always covered in ice, has been dealing with an unwelcome guest, a flightless midge, for years. Now, it has become a big problem as the tiny insect has spread to a much larger area with multiplying populations.”

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/how-the-invasion-of-a-tiny-insect-is-altering-antarctica-s-soil-its-ecosystem-89266


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It’s near winter in Antarctic Peninsula but temperatures are extremely above average.

“The Chinese Base called Great Wall on the King George Island rose to +8.1C [46.6F],with temperatures rising above +5C also in the Peninsula. At least 15 stations are above freezing.”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1657084094931427333


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Brazil’s Haddad raises concerns about economic situation, drought in Argentina.

“Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad expressed serious concerns on Thursday that Argentina’s economic challenges and a major drought there could affect the country’s “political destiny” and usher in an extremist government.

https://www.reuters.com/world/brazils-haddad-raises-concerns-about-economic-situation-drought-argentina-2023-05-11/


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More record heat from South America.

“In Chile insane heat with several stations in 3 provinces (Atacama, Coquimbo and Valparaiso) >35C / 95F today (up to 36.7C at Tranque Lautaro) altitudes until 1500m above sea level. In Brazil yesterday monthly heat record at Ze Doca, Maranhao State with 36.9C.”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1657123343550619657


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Severe storms have devastating impact on Central California crops.

“…In the mountains above, one of California’s largest snowpacks on record is starting to melt. According to forecasters, high temperatures in the coming weeks could prove catastrophic. “You kind of get an overwhelming sense of doom in a way,” said Lakeshore Dairy farmer Brandon Goedhardt. “How do you stop this?”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-crops-storm-impact/


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Farmers Set to Abandon US Wheat Crops at Highest Rate Since 1917…

“Years of dry conditions on the US Plains have taken their toll on America’s famed fields of grain. Some wheat plants this season were so stunted by a lack of moisture that they won’t produce so-called heads of grain, leaving little reason to harvest them. Farmers can instead file crop-insurance claims for failed acres, or choose to plant something else.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-12/wheat-futures-jump-in-chicago-as-drought-shrinks-us-crops


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Wildfire smoke from Alberta and British Columbia reaches US.

“Much of Canada and parts of the US are blanketed by smoke as wildfires in the province of Alberta continue to rage. As of Thursday, there are 75 active wildfires in Alberta, 23 of which are considered out of control.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65566072


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Canada: extreme ‘heat dome’ temperatures set to worsen wildfires…

“Florida-based meteorologist Jeffery Berardelli told the Guardian that recent projections show a higher pressure system developing over the Canadian Prairies that is “stronger than anything we have seen” since records started four decades ago.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/12/western-canada-record-temperatures-heat-dome-wildfires


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Incredible warmth in Northern Canada with temperatures totally unprecedented for this time of the year.

Nunavut rose to 20C [68F] nearly 2 weeks earlier than its previous earliest. Almost 30C in Northwest Territories. From tomorrow British Columbia will catch the first 35C of the year.”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1657205007375126528


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[Alaska] USA, the Castner glacier is retreating too fast.

“The ice cave is slowly collapsing in on itself after so much warm water poured into its crevasses due to last summer’s high temperatures. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), ‘the state is warming at a rate two to three times the global average’ due to climate change.”

https://www.msn.com/en-my/news/others/usa-the-glacier-castner-is-retreating-too-fast/ss-AA1b5s4g


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Surprise! This year’s hurricane season started with a storm in January…

“Forecasters agreed in retrospect that a curiously robust system that formed between Nova Scotia and Bermuda on January 16, 2023, did indeed qualify as the first tropical cyclone of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season… eight of the past nine hurricane seasons began before the ‘official’ start date on June 1.”

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/weather/severe/2023-atlantic-hurricane-season-started-in-january-subtropical-storm-


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Snow falls in Spain after long drought and early heat wave.

“The freak snowfall happened in La Raya, a mountainous area of Asturias, while hailstones and heavy rain fell in Mediterranean parts of Spain including Catalonia and Valencia after months without a drop of precipitation [a lot of the arid south still without precipitation though].”

https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/snow-falls-spain-after-long-drought-early-heat-wave-2023-05-12/


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The Spanish government has approved a €2.2bn (£1.9bn) plan to help farmers and consumers cope with an enduring drought that has been exacerbated by the hottest and driest April on record.

“The measures, described as unprecedented by the government, were
signed off by the cabinet on Thursday. They include €1.4bn of funds from the environment ministry to tackle the drought…”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/11/spain-approves-unprecedented-drought-recovery-plan


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Spain plans to ban outdoor work during periods of extreme heat.

“The measure will be enforced when the state weather agency AEMET issues red or orange alerts. These heat alerts are frequently issued when temperatures hit the high 30s or over 40C, posing a risk for citizens outdoors or for the environment.”

https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/05/12/spain-drought-working-outdoors-during-extreme-heat-will-soon-be-made-illegal


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Horn of Africa’s double whammy of famine – and floods.

“The drought in the Horn of Africa could raise the risk of food shortages, even though some areas have also been devastated by floods, aid organisations have warned. Since October 2020, the region has been in the midst of its worst drought in 40 years, with people in some areas suffering a sixth consecutive failed rainy season, while others have been affected by floods.”

https://www.thenationalnews.com/weekend/2023/05/12/horn-of-africas-double-whammy-of-famine-and-floods/


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“Keep cool… According to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), temperatures will reach an eye-watering 45ºC in certain parts of the UAE this weekend.

“The highest temperature recorded in the UAE on Wednesday, May 10 was 43.8ºC [113F] in Mezaira, Abu Dhabi. The lowest? 19.9ºC in Al Foah, also in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.”

https://whatson.ae/2023/05/uae-weather-temperatures-to-hit-45oc-this-weekend/


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Big warming in India and Pakistan: Asia rose to its 2023 new highest with 47.0C [116.6F] at Jacobabad and Dadu in Pakistan.

“India is also warming with heat waves expected in several States after a last cool morning in Madhya Pradesh (Malanjkhand 15.7C ,Rewa 16.5C new records for May).”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1656659687683805185


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‘Feels like oven’: Memes go viral as heatwave grips India.

“Several parts of Gujarat are reeling under heatwave conditions, with Patan city in the northern region recording 45.4 degrees Celsius [113.7F] on Thursday, said officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) here… Meanwhile, netizens are finding relief from scorching weather via memes on social media.”

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/humour/social-humour/feels-like-oven-memes-go-viral-as-heatwave-grips-india/articleshow/100186417.cms


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Greenpeace: real area of forest fires in Russia ten times bigger than official statistics.

“According to the ISDM-Rosleskhoz space observation system the real area of Russia’s forest fires since the start of the year constitutes 5.2 million ha, whereas the official report only mentions 0.59 million ha, Greenpeace reports.”

https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2023/05/11/greenpeace-real-area-of-forest-fires-in-russia-ten-times-bigger-than-official-statistics-en-news


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A few personal notes: I was just at a NASA team meeting for 3 days in DC. The scientific findings are so fucked up.

Experts on tropical rainforests told me privately that they think the Amazon has already passed its tipping point. Let that sink in. The world needs to know.” [Dr Peter Kalmus, NASA climate scientist]

https://twitter.com/ClimateHuman/status/1656512546830950400


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Dark clouds on the horizon: The most accurate measurements yet of black carbon in the atmosphere…

“With our improved measurements, we now estimate that current climate models may be underestimating the absorption of solar radiation due to black carbon by a significant 16%.

https://phys.org/news/2023-05-dark-clouds-horizon-accurate-black.html


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Methane (CH₄) is a potent greenhouse gas. Here are the most recent monthly observations (upper right corner)…”

January 2023 – 1921.7 ppb
January 2022 – 1907.4 ppb

+ Data
@NOAA_ESRL
https://gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends_ch4/
More info on trends: https://pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1814297116

https://twitter.com/ZLabe/status/1656818892407177218


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April 2023: Earth’s 4th-warmest April on record.

Global oceans had their warmest April on record, and the Southern Hemisphere had its warmest month on record, beating March 2016.

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2023/05/april-2023-earths-4th-warmest-april-on-record/


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As Ocean Oxygen Levels Dip, Fish Face an Uncertain Future.

“Global warming not only increases ocean temperatures, it triggers a cascade of effects that are stripping the seas of oxygen. Fish are already moving to new waters in search of oxygen, and scientists are warning of the long-term threat to fish species and marine ecosystems.”

https://e360.yale.edu/features/as-ocean-oxygen-levels-dip-fish-face-an-uncertain-future


You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back on Monday with an “Economic” thread.

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