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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Breaking News!!!

Today, 2023 surpassed 2016 as the year with the hottest 60°S-60°N global sea surface temperatures (SST) since record keeping began in 1982.

While 2016 was at the end of a record El Niño, the SST impact from the coming 2023 El Niño has not yet left its mark.

https://twitter.com/EliotJacobson/status/1659578806242529282


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And just how far above the 1982-2023 sea surface temperature average for the North Atlantic is the year 2023?

“Here is another graph of the North Atlantic sea surface temperatures, this one giving the average temperature Jan. 1 – May 18, for each year 1982-2023.

The North Atlantic has warmed almost a full 1°C during this very brief period.”

https://twitter.com/EliotJacobson/status/1659686984892420097


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World’s Oceans, Atmosphere Are Simmering as El Niño Approaches.

“The planet is simmering, both on land and at sea, and that could signal more record temperatures for the remainder of 2023, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. At sea, global average surface temperatures set a record high for April at 60.8 degrees Fahrenheit…”

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ocean-warming-el-nino-noaa-ec2f124


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Global heating has likely made El Niños and La Niñas more ‘frequent and extreme’, new study shows…

“Dr Wenju Cai, lead author of the study from Australia’s CSIRO science agency, said the models showed a “human fingerprint” from 1960 onwards. This meant climate change had likely made both El Niños and La Niñas “more frequent and more extreme,” he said.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/18/global-heating-el-nino-la-nina-weather-climate-pattern-more-frequent-extreme


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Bering Sea 2019 Heatwave Produced Extreme Change.

“The Bering Sea region is front and center for federal fisheries researchers after the 2019 heatwave produced extreme change in the marine ecosystem. That’s according to Bob Foy, the Juneau-based science and research director of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, or AFSC for short.”

http://www.nomenugget.com/news/bering-sea-2019-heatwave-produced-extreme-change


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Record heat in Alaska yesterday

“Winds turned from East and caused a sharp temperature rise. Sittka Airport with 82F/27.8C had its warmest May/Spring day on records (prev. 80F on 30 May 1964). Even warmer at Klawock with 86F/30C. Kudos to Rick Thoman from Fairbanks for the graph.”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1659630640000581633


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Oldest town in Yukon almost wiped out by ice jams and flooding.

“The historic town site of Forty Mile is the latest area in the Dawson City, Yukon, region to be impacted by ice jams and extreme flooding. A large ice jam on the Forty Mile River sent water and ice into the site, knocking buildings and structures off of their foundations.”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/forty-mile-floods-1.6848668


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Alberta, Canada, wildfires show no sign of slowing, experts say.

“The province of Alberta, Canada, home to more than four million people, is under a state of emergency, as nearly 100 wildfires burn, dozens of them out of control… this year, Alberta was subject to both record-breaking heat and below-average rainfall.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65638922


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One left: British Columbia’s last chance on northern spotted owls…

“Logging is not the only reason northern spotted owls are now a hair’s breadth away from extirpation in British Columbia. Invasive barred owls, which are native to eastern North America but have been moving westward, are also muscling out spotted owls, and more frequent and intense forest fires due to climate change are adding pressure.”

https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/one-left-british-columbias-last-chance-on-northern-spotted-owls


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Frost-bitten: Vineyards assess crop damage after record-low temps [Ohio]…

“‘Frost’ is a word no farmer wants to hear in the month of May, but that’s exactly what many farmers across Northeast Ohio found when they woke up. Hundley Cellars in Geneva is perhaps one of the hardest-hit. “Frost this late in the season is devastating,” co-owner Tracy Hundley said.”

https://fox8.com/news/frost-bitten-vineyards-assess-crop-damage-after-record-low-temps/


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Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama are also living one of the harshest heat waves in histories with temperatures at record levels for 6 weeks.

“Yesterday 38.8C [101.8F] at Juigalpa Nicaragua, 0.2C from its hottest day on records. Tmins of 27.6C in Costa Rica. 38C also at Neiva, Colombia.”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1659576020976934914


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It’s another record warm month in Argentina.

“Next days unusually high temperatures reaching 30C [86F] will be recorded in NE Argentina, Northern Uruguay and Rio Grande do Sul State of Brazil. This “summery” autumn will end just as it started: with abnormal warmth.”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1659227404311691264


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Ireland ‘not ready’ for droughts and forest fires as temperatures to hit record highs.

“Ireland is set to face some extreme weather events, increasingly hot summers, and weather more common in the Mediterranean, experts have said. Dr Chris Mays, lecture at University College Cork, told the Irish Daily Mail that it wouldn’t be surprising if Ireland experienced a summer like no other this year.”

https://extra.ie/2023/05/18/news/irish-news/ireland-unprepared-forest-fires


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Villages evacuated as ‘very large’ wildfire ravages south-west Spain.

“Hundreds of civilian and military firefighters are tackling a wildfire in south-west Spain that has burned across at least 7,500 hectares (18,500 acres) of land and forced the evacuation of more than 500 people since it began on Wednesday evening.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/19/villages-evacuated-wildfire-ravages-south-west-spain-extremadura


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It’s wintry white…in Spain! Mega hail storm leaves streets blanketed in ice as freak weather hits the country with summer around the corner.

“Terrifying footage from Los Palacios y Villafranca, nestled in the Seville province, captured the fury of Mother Nature firsthand. Cars were mercilessly lashed with giant hailstones while powerful winds tore leaves from their branches, turning the town into a scene of wintry chaos.”

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12103223/Its-wintry-white-SPAIN-Mega-hail-storm-leaves-streets-blanketed-ice.html


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Exceptional weather becomes the new norm in exposed Italy.

“Storms, avalanches, floods and drought have slammed Italy over the past year, killing dozens of people, as once exceptional disasters become a regular part of life, leaving the government scrambling to find answers.”

https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/exceptional-weather-becomes-new-norm-exposed-italy-2023-05-18/


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Impressive temperature contrasts today in the Mediterranean. Within Algeria, from more than 44C [111.2F] in the South to an incredibly cold afternoon in the North:

At Setif (1015m) it was raining with just above 7C [44.6F] this afternoon. More East, hot sirocco and 42C at Sirte, on the Libyan coast.”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1659597045836001280


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‘Hard to be homeless in this heat’: India’s brutal summer is here.

“India has started experiencing what could be another extremely hot summer, similar to last year when the country saw a devastating heatwave that led to widespread human suffering and affected workplaces, informal workers, landless labourers, marginalised communities, agriculture, and the overall economy.”

https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/5/18/hard-to-be-homeless-in-this-heat-indias-brutal-summer-is-here


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Survivors wait ‘in hell’ after Cyclone Mocha pummels Myanmar…

“From the Rohingya camp of Thet Kae Pyin, Si Thu told Al Jazeera that about 95 percent of the shelters had been obliterated and that at least 400 Rohingya were believed to have lost their lives. Survivors, he said, were now facing a dramatic increase in the price of food and basic goods, as well as urgent medical and sanitation needs.”

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/18/survivors-wait-in-hell-after-cyclone-mocha-pummels-myanmar


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SE Asia Heat: Another day with temperatures near record levels in Central Thailand, from Bangkok to Patthaya and even Koh Samui, which all beat their records earlier this month.

“In few days showers and thunderstorms should lower max. temperatures but further increase the humidity.”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1659536522385715203


New Anti-Heatstroke Curbs May Boost Hong Kong Developer Costs. Hong Kong’s new anti-heatstroke guidelines for employers took effect this week, as rising temperatures around the region put pressure on authorities to protect the health and safety of workers vulnerable to extreme heat.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-20/global-warming-extreme-heat-prompts-new-worker-safeguards-in-hong-kong


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Extreme weather hitting China in May.

“Various regions of China are experiencing abnormal weather this month, including extreme heat, rainfall and drought. In some parts of the country, these conditions have followed one another in quick succession, in what are known as “compound events”.”

https://chinadialogue.net/en/digest/extreme-weather-hitting-china-in-may/


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Unprecedented heat wave likely to hit Korea this summer.

“A scorching heat wave is likely to hit the Korean Peninsula this summer beginning next month, the state weather agency forecast on Friday. The possibility of unprecedented heat is due to high-pressure systems and the return of a stronger El Nino.”

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/05/113_351283.html


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While Okinawa and Amami entered the rainy season Thursday, the rest of the nation [Japan] saw unusual heat.

52 weather stations had the hottest May day on record. Fukui had 34.9℃ [94.8F], which is nearly 12℃ higher than normal, and the highest for May since records began in 1897!”

https://twitter.com/sayakasofiamori/status/1659108728866521089


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Wildfire’s Toxic Legacy Leaves Children Gasping for Air Years Later [NSW, Australia]…

“The children’s ongoing symptoms, their families say, all followed weeks of exposure to bushfire smoke either before birth or during their early months of life. According to the parents, some of the babies were born prematurely with blackened placentas.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2023-australia-wildfire-toxic-legacy/


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Extreme weather and rising premiums make parts of regional Australia ‘uninsurable’.

“Jane Brookman says she has been punished for having the wrong postcode. Her farm cottage in the northern rivers region of New South Wales, has not been directly affected by floods or bushfires. But, with Inverell just down the road and Lismore four hours away, it is now considered a high-risk area.”

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/19/extreme-weather-and-rising-premiums-make-parts-of-regional-australia-uninsurable


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More cold in SE Australia. Today 19 May Griffith in New South Wales dropped to -2.3C [27.9F] which is a new record low for May.

Narrandera was close with -2.6C (record -2.8C). This is the exact area which broke records of high temperatures in March.”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1659379573253890050


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Uh, the Antarctic sea ice anomaly continues to grow and is really a pronounced outlier for this time of year in our satellite record…

 

+ View other perspectives (including a narrower graph zoom):

Antarctic: Sea-Ice Concentration/Extent/Thickness

https://twitter.com/ZLabe/status/1658984605490327554


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Over Half Of All Lakes Have Seen Water Level Drops, Study Finds.

“According to a new study published in Science on Thursday, over half of the world’s largest lakes have seen a decline in lake water storage due to climate change and unsustainable human consumption, putting the world’s already low amount of available freshwater at risk.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/05/18/over-half-of-all-lakes-have-seen-water-level-drops-study-finds/


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Is climate change causing a resurgence in infectious diseases? Climate change is the greatest health threat of the 21st century. It is not only endangering the lives of millions by driving inhospitable weather conditions across the globe, but also heightening the risk of outbreaks of deadly diseases.

“In altering the characteristics of the environment in which animals habitually live, both in terms of temperature and the availability of water and food sources, the danger of infections spilling over from animals into humans is high.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/climate-change-infectious-disease-resurgence-outbreaks/


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

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