“Temperature of 37 deg C [98.6F] in Ang Mo Kio matches Singapore’s all-time highest daily mark hit 40 years ago.
“The mercury hit 37 deg C in Ang Mo Kio on Saturday, tying the all-time mark for the highest daily maximum temperature in Singapore, which was recorded in Tengah on April 17, 1983.
“It is also the highest recorded temperature for the month of May, and the hottest day in 2023.”
“China braces for record-breaking temperatures as major cities issue heat advisories.
China is gearing up for another summer of scorching temperatures as major cities issued heat advisories this week, with Beijing experiencing temperatures in the mid-thirties on Monday… Since March, China has already been experiencing heatwaves in various parts of the country including in the Yunnan province which is known historically for its mild weather.”
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/china-braces-record-breaking-temperatures-121847294.html
“Eastern India is under a terrible heat wave with temperatures surging above 46C [115F].
“It’s also an area notorious for high humidity, relentless heat persisting at night and heat indexes/THI which might exceed 55C [131F] . Next 3 days will witness dangerous levels of heat.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1658087119372312576
“Cyclone Mocha Strikes Myanmar…
“As Cyclone Mocha approached Myanmar on May 14, 2023, winds roared as fast as 175 miles (280 kilometers) per hour, enough to make it a category 5 storm… Mocha’s powerful winds tied with Cyclone Fani for being the strongest on record in the North Indian Ocean basin, according to Jeff Masters with Yale Climate Connections.”
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/151343/cyclone-mocha-strikes-myanmar
“Cyclone Mocha may have killed ‘hundreds’ in Myanmar’s Rakhine.
“Rescue and relief efforts are under way in northwestern Myanmar and neighbouring Bangladesh after Cyclone Mocha crashed ashore, with one humanitarian group working in the affected area saying hundreds had been killed and some Rohingya camps destroyed.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/16/cyclone-mocha-may-have-killed-hundreds-in-myanmars-rakhine
“Northern Rivers [NSW, Australia] told to brace for flash flooding, again.
“The NSW SES is warning anyone planning on travelling to the area to be mindful of the potential for severe rainfall that could lead to flash flooding… More than 30,000 people in the Northern Rivers have faced significant flooding events over the past three years since the onset of the prolonged La Nina, with last year’s floods the worst on record.”
https://au.news.yahoo.com/northern-rivers-told-brace-flash-033627592.html
“Scientists warn Maugean skate, Tasmania’s ‘thylacine of the sea’, one extreme weather event from extinction.
“Scientists have warned an ancient fish species that has survived since the time of the dinosaurs could be one extreme weather event from extinction after its population crashed by nearly half in seven years.”
“More abnormal warmth in Antarctica.
“+8.4C [47.1F] at San Martin Base, an Argentine Base located in the Peninsula and 7.6C at Esperanza, where the snow depth is now 15cm, down from 40cm few days ago. It’s almost winter in Antarctica but locally we are observing snow melting.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1657786213711990786
“It’s another abnormally warm month in Argentina which is living so far an exceptionally warm 2023, every single month.
“Temperatures are still surging above 30C [86F] in Central Northern areas with dry and sunny days and cool nights. The drought is persisting and it’s a matter of concern.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1658145983266447362
“Florida’s citrus crop forecast lowest in nearly 100 years, recent hurricanes are a major factor.
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday issued a forecast that said Florida growers this season are on pace to fill 15.65 million boxes of oranges, which would be the lowest total since the 1934-1935 season. The new forecast also was down from an April projection of 16.1 million boxes.”
“Record-breaking heat scorches the western US and Canada as wildfires continue to rage.
“The West has taken a dive straight into summer, with temperatures well above those normally seen even at the end of July… Several cities across British Columbia set new monthly records Sunday, including Lytton, which topped out around 97 degrees; hotter than the average temperature Phoenix, Arizona, experiences around this time of year.”
“Canadian PM Trudeau visits Alberta as wildfires rage.
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Alberta on Monday as raging wildfires prompted mass evacuations and reduced energy production in Canada’s main oil-producing province, where meteorologists expect virtually no rain for 10 days or so.”
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-pm-trudeau-visit-alberta-wildfires-rage-2023-05-15/
“Canada’s Far North sizzles under unrivalled heat, sets monthly record…
“An extreme example of the extraordinary heat occurred in Arviat, Nunavut, along the shores of Hudson Bay. The 21.2°C [70.2F] reading recorded on Saturday is so far above-and-beyond what was previously experienced. Never before had a 10°C even been recorded there, and that temperature smashed the previous monthly record of 14.5°C set back on May 26, 2001.”
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/canadas-far-north-sizzles-under-180604087.html
“90-mile-long ice jam in rural Alaska brings near-record flooding to several towns along Yukon River.
“Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has declared a disaster in several communities due to ongoing flooding along the Yukon River caused by a massive ice jam. The NWS in Fairbanks said warmer temperatures across the eastern Interior, combined with an above-normal snowpack in the higher elevations, have caused a significant increase in snowmelt.”
https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/ice-jam-flooding-alaska-yukon-river
“A state of emergency was declared in Russia’s far eastern Khabarovsk region on Monday, amid forest fires that have raged in other parts of the country.
““Today, I signed an order on the introduction of a state of emergency due to forest fires throughout the Khabarovsk Territory,” Khabarovsk Governor Mikhail Degtyarev said in a message on Telegram.”
“Dozens of ‘frost quakes’ hit a Finnish town in just 7 hours.
“Fears are growing that seismic activity known as frost quakes or ice quakes – which can cause huge cracks in roads and houses – are becoming more frequent because of climate change.”
“Denmark Is Mysteriously Tremoring. No One Knows Why…
“…by ruling out a ground-based shock—like an earthquake—or a large and relatively nearby explosion, we’re left to look at the atmosphere. This means that there was potentially some sort of significant atmospheric event strong enough to cause a 2.3 magnitude tremor on land in a specific island location. And we don’t know what it was.”
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a43892547/why-is-denmark-tremoring/
“Andalucía brings forward date of high risk wildfire season by two weeks.
“The start of the extreme risk season for forest fires has been brought forward to 16 May in Andalucía, instead of 1 June. The decision was made at a meeting of the advisory committee of Plan Infoca, the Junta’s specialist wildfire prevention and fire fighting brigade, and the regional government minister Antonio Sanz on Friday.”
“‘The country is becoming a desert’: Drought-struck Spain is running out of water.
“Spain is running out of water. After a long and painful drought, the country has been hit by an unusually early heat wave, evaporating even more of the “blue gold” it still has left in its reservoirs.”
“Croatian army steps in as heavy rains flood homes, roads and schools.
“Rescue teams and hundreds of soldiers were deployed Monday to help people in parts of Croatia hit by floods. Heavy rain in recent days caused some rivers to overflow their banks, flooding homes, roads and public buildings in some towns.”
“Rwanda prioritizes relocation of disaster-stricken households, post-floods reconstruction.
“Last week, heavy rainfall caused significant 137 casualties and injuries in the northern, western, and southern provinces of Rwanda. Since heavy rainfall, battered Rwanda causing landslides and deadly floods on May 2-3, the government initiated an emergency response, including evacuations and temporary relocations to camps for affected residents.”
“22 people killed in Somalia floods: UN.
“Flash flooding in central Somalia has killed 22 people and affected over 450,000, the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA said Sunday, after the Shabelle River burst its banks, forcing tens of thousands out of their homes.”
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/22-people-killed-somalia-floods-125129803.html
“Climate change is making crabs lose their sense of smell — and seafood may never be the same… and when crabs pay the price, so do humans…
“…as the ocean becomes more acidic due to climate change, crabs lose part of their sense of smell because the neurons responsible for sensing odors shrink and they have fewer receptors in their version of a nose (an organ called their antennules).”
“Oceans have been absorbing the world’s extra heat. But there’s a huge payback.
“… the ocean has acted like the planet’s air conditioner, relentlessly absorbing extra heat. “But that air conditioner isn’t just passive. It is not a free service. Adding that heat has come with ocean acidification, rising sea levels and changes in the frequency of extreme weather.””
“The terrifying math of the incoming El Niño…
“We are, right now, living in a dangerously warmed climate. That means two things: first, that climate adaptation—infrastructure and policy decisions focused on mitigating the harm that our new, perennially warming climate is causing—is not some far-off question. We need to be preparing for the next unprecedented heat wave, flood, fire, or wind event as though it were coming this summer—because it very well might be.
“Second, and more fundamentally, it means there is no margin of safety left, if there ever was one.”
https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/the-terrifying-math-of-the-incoming-el-nino
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
If you found value in this content, please help me continue this work by becoming a patron of my work via Patreon. And if you are already a subscriber or have donated – thank you! It is an enormous help as the cost-of-living crisis ratchets up here in the UK.
A little lunch break extra for the few here that read Dutch:
https://scientias.nl/wetenschappers-luiden-opnieuw-de-alarmbel-schimmels-leiden-niet-tot-zombie-apocalyps-maar-mogelijk-wel-tot-wereldhonger/
Putting the last of us funghi into the perspective where they are a massive threat for plants and especially our food production, real soon now.
And thebrillliant, all knowing Chinese back and forth regarding their green wall multi year planning , one of the green walls coming down already to produce more food
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-greenery-04282023152513.html
And a recent Reuters that was putting it mildly regarding the extensive level of Chinese corporate espionage, that has been going on for decades now . Obviously in my corner of the world ASML and many German mid sized specialists in tech and industry are the victims , china is very clever in avoiding all security measures
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/china-greatest-threat-dutch-economic-security-dutch-intelligence-says-2023-04-17/
Much helped by the extreme naivety of both EU and Dutch/ German corporations
I thought this interview offered an interesting perspective:
“A conversation with economist Keyu Jin, author of The New China Playbook, on why cultural misunderstandings are making it harder to manage China’s rise and avoid future conflict… there’s a recent survey that shows that the majority of Chinese prefer security over freedom. That’s exactly the opposite in the US. In the US, people look at China’s paternalistic state and find it intolerable.
“In China there was an implicit contract between the people and the emperor, that in exchange for stability and general well-being, we submit to the authorities. It’s also part of the Confucian philosophy, of deference to senior people in the hierarchy, that’s always been in our cultural traits…
“…the copying culture is part of the old playbook. It’s deeply rooted in a culture where Confucius once said that stealing books is not a crime. The new playbook is, in part, about taking good technologies that already exist and making them better and much cheaper…
“Q: Toward the end of the book you argue that Chinese capital will complement U.S. capital, not replace it. What did you mean by that?
“In the developing world, the demand for safe assets and dollar assets will outstrip the ability of the US to supply them. After the 2008 financial crisis, there was a big liquidity gap for developing countries. The US basically had swap lines with six of its friends — you know, the more advanced economies — leaving this gaping hole for emerging markets. And so China provided assistance to many of them. If we see another global financial crisis, you’ll need the two largest economies to work together to coordinate assistance and provide liquidity backstops. The US can’t do it alone.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-05-16/what-the-west-still-doesn-t-get-about-china
Regarding your post from Radio Free Asia.
While the physical facts may certainly be true, the motivations are made up and presented to give a false impression. For example, there is no such thing as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). There is a Communist Party of China (CPC).
The article, if it was unbiased, should have said, “The local effort to create green spaces/gardens was well intentioned, but the national party has determined that with the recent climate changes that have made farming more difficult and brought food security into question, more farmland is now needed. It is always the intention of the CPC to keep the population happy, and well fed.”
“For example, there is no such thing as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). There is a Communist Party of China (CPC).”
I think you’re splitting hairs there, Lou. “CPC” is the official nomenclature but “CCP” is widespread and not generally used in pejorative fashion. I’ve always used CCP tbh.
And green spaces aside, China has a dismal environmental record, although the global economy as a totality has benefited from this, so I am not singling them out:
“On track to becoming the world’s largest economy, China’s extremely rapid industrial expansion in recent decades has also contributed to record levels of air and water pollution. Here are five of the most worrisome environmental issues in China.”
https://earth.org/environmental-issues-in-china/
Oh, “Justin” …
The Chinese are not perfect. Far from it.
There was a site … (I dont remember where I was …). Anyway, it was there that I first heard the term “red pilled”; as in “When were you first red pilled”. I remember when I was red pilled clearly. As Casandra may have told you, I suffer from chronic insomnia and basal cell cancer. Both of those maladies can be treated (with varying levels of success) using cannabis. But wait! The US government says that cannabis has no medicinal value. In fact, the US has more people per capita in prison than any other country in the world, at least partly because those people were caught selling the “evil weed” (or more likely because they have dark skins – thank you, Biden). Suddenly, because I use Cannabis medicinally, I was (am) a criminal. I couldn’t wrap my head around the insanity, and it caused a break. That was in about 2002. Once one takes the red pill, one starts to see, and try as I might I can’t unsee it.
Now, everywhere I look, good ol’ Uncle Sam is lying, cheating, and murdering wantonly and with no regard for anything. Trump, and Biden are the same, with the Biden administration likely even worse. To imagine that China or Russia are worse is simply naive.
You say that China has a poor environmental record. Really? The US gets all of its cheap crap from China. Since we no longer make “anything”, we have “no” mines, “no” factories, and generate little pollution. No, we have decoupled* our economy from pollution. Riiiiggght.
(*decoupled means that we let China do all the polluting industry and then spin the propaganda to make sure everyone knows that the Chinese are evil polluters.)
I hope Harmon keeps posting, he is interesting.
As I said earlier, I’m jus’ a po’ ign’rnt contry gal tryin’ to figger out when it will be over (and posting silly graffiti). And, of course, if you want me to stop posting, just say the word.
PS. Regarding the CPC vs CCP issue. There is respect, and there is propaganda. RFA is a CIA funded propaganda outlet. They use CCP because it is an insult, make no mistake.
“You say that China has a poor environmental record. Really? The US gets all of its cheap crap from China. Since we no longer make “anything”, we have “no” mines, “no” factories, and generate little pollution. No, we have decoupled* our economy from pollution. Riiiiggght.”
Lou, this is why I say that I am not singling China out – the entire global economy has benefited from it in effect sacrificing its own environmental well-being in its push for growth.
Thank you for the background on your views and sorry to hear about your health woes. I did not know about them.
Came across this this morning:
“Chinese companies operating in Zimbabwe have been accused of environmental degradation and human rights violations. In the mining industry, Chinese companies have been accused of exploiting Zimbabwe’s mineral resources without adequate measures to protect the environment and local communities.”
https://www.pindula.co.zw/2023/05/16/chinese-mining-firm-causes-unrest-with-unlawful-mineral-exploration-activities/
Moderation is one thing if you filter out attacks against a commenter but you let Happy China messages go unchecked , I bring you official sources to bring balance and you moderate then out ? That is preposterous. I’m outta here. Shame on unbalanced moderation widing with propaganda
Harmon, I’m afraid WordPress automatically holds comments with more than one link in moderation. I haven’t yet intentionally held back a comment.
Harmon, Buddy … Chill out man.
I posted a little comment yesterday mid morning my time. I see it now, but it wasn’t there last night. It takes time (sometimes a lot of time) for Panopticon and his one faithful minion to get comments visible. I can assure you that no matter how absurd, or over the top my comments become, they eventually become visible to everyone.
Yup, just happened again. It is 3:00PM London time and I posted 10 minutes ago. The comment apparently disappeared.
I see it now, at 3:20pm. And that is after I wrote a comment documenting delays.
” … with propaganda …”
There is that word again. I was afraid that I forgot the definition, so I looked it up:
propaganda | ˌpräpəˈɡandə |
noun
1 information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view
So, yeah, I was right. The information presented must be of a misleading nature to qualify as propaganda. Which means to me that if you think my posts yesterday were propaganda you should know (and more importantly) be able to show that the information was not true, or somehow misleading.
I eagerly await your explanation.
Leave the deck chairs alone, People. We’re going down, strike up the band.
This is probably wise counsel, Sissyfuss. 😆
Speaking of propaganda, LOL:
https://geoffreyroberts.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ten-Top-Tips-.pdf
Coincidentally, one of my French ancestors, Jean l’Arrangeur de chaise’, was responsible for arranging the deck chairs on the ocean liner SS Île de France that was built in Saint-Nazaire, similar to the Titanic.
Together with his friend who accompanied the dance orchestra whose sound even echoed through to the rooms of the fortune hunters and people movers one of the most important functions…..
He once wrote a letter describing ‘ the family’ the ultimate importance of his work.
Work that remains valid even when that ship like the Titanic is on its way to the bottom of the ocean. And shortly after this disaster while he was making a crossing from Le Havre to New York with 2,500 fortune seekers
” …We served a very demanding clientele, and let me tell you that none of them wanted to share the choppy, frozen waters with anything less than the most exquisite arrangement of seats. When the Titanic slipped beneath the waves and took hundreds of souls with her, she did so with the finest deck arrangements imaginable.
I know the phrase “like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic” has become shorthand for “a task rendered futile by dramatic circumstances.”
Well, here in my work and life, “How you do something is how you do everything.”
Does it really matter, I hear you wonder under those circumstances, if I finish my screenplay? Who actually makes films anymore? In the end, what does it matter if I file these reports or just burn down my entire house? What is the point of Zoom interviews for preschoolers?
I’m sure when you think of the chaos unfolding across the planet as bodies are destroyed by viruses and economies quarantined (the Spanish flu), your daily trivial tasks seem small, totally pointless. I invite you to stop navel-gazing and consider whether you want to die with dignity, or as a spoilt child who can only struggle to fulfil the most mundane obligations yourself
Did the chairs I so lovingly set up ever sink under the weight of a rich, silk-lined floor? No, they sank in the North Atlantic, but that is not the point. The point is, I did my duty to the best of my ability and my colleagues on the Titanic froze to death with satisfied hearts.
Here is the truth of it all: whether our graves are the cold and shadowy depths of the ocean or a pottery field full of plague victims, the grave awaits us all, and always has.
Your efforts are as important as ever, that is, not a little bit, they are the core of your existence….. ”
The lesson you can learn from Jean is that dec k chairs should always be moved…. We don’t have much more in our short existence.
Thank you for sharing that anecdote, Zip – a fine clarion call, if I am understanding it correctly, to do things with love and care, even if they seem pointless and ultimately doomed. The Bhagavad Gita says something similar; Eckhart Tolle:
““So do not be concerned with the fruit of your action-just give attention to the action itself. The fruit will come of its own accord. This is a powerful spiritual practice. In the Bhagavad Gita, one of the oldest and most beautiful spiritual teachings in existence, non-attachment to the fruit of your action is called Karma Yoga. It is described as the path of “consecrated action.””
I wondered if perhaps SS Île de France had shared a similar fate to The Titanic but Google tells me she made it safely through to retirement in 1959. She was, however, involved in one major peace-time drama:
“On July 26, 1956, Île de France had a major role in the rescue operation after the collision of the passenger liners Andrea Doria and Stockholm off Nantucket. Of 1,706 passengers and crew of the Andrea Doria, about 753 were transferred to the Île de France during the approximately 6-hour rescue operation.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_%C3%8Ele_de_France
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIcbj2vFg6w
Caught up in the tangled wires of Nigeria’s electricity crisis. Not a crisis they will not be able to do what we want them to do no green plan nothing. They are barley surviving now. Our grid and infrastructure is in horrible shape I have not looked at the current report card but it’s not good. No amount of money will fix it at this point.
https://infrastructurereportcard.org they say C- but its worse than that with climate onslaught!
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-05-15/planes-track-california-historic-snowpack
Yeah they have to measure the snowpack to see the amount of flooding taking place. I have never heard of that before happening.