“Joint NASA, NOAA Study Finds Earth’s Energy Imbalance Has Doubled. Researchers have found that Earth’s energy imbalance approximately doubled during the 14-year period from 2005 to 2019.
“Earth’s climate is determined by a delicate balance between how much of the Sun’s radiative energy is absorbed in the atmosphere and at the surface and how much thermal infrared radiation Earth emits to space.
“A positive energy imbalance means the Earth system is gaining energy, causing the planet to heat up. The doubling of the energy imbalance is the topic of a recent study, the results of which were published June 15th in Geophysical Research Letters.”
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/langley/joint-nasa-noaa-study-finds-earths-energy-imbalance-has-doubled
“An assortment of climate scientists, meteorologists and others are expressing alarm at recent changes in key climate indicators.
“The big picture: Global surface air and ocean temperatures have spiked sharply in recent months, along with record low Antarctic sea ice, extreme heat events around the world, as Canada’s heat and wildfire crisis grips North America.”
https://www.axios.com/2023/06/13/climate-extremes-warming-charts-concerns
“El Niño’s arrival spells out the stark choices on climate…
“El Niño’s arrival heralds a new period of climate uncertainty — and one that, with its associated risk of extreme weather, economists and politicians ignore at their peril. Even the best-laid plans to tackle the escalating cost of living will need to factor in crop failures and spiralling commodity prices.”
https://www.ft.com/content/08cfda0c-62ca-4f4d-8677-2fa747f1a2bd
“Boreal forests may be on verge of contraction: New study.
“The vast northern forests of Canada and Alaska are shifting northwards as a result of climate change. What’s more, the shift is faster at the southern boreal boundaries than the northern ones. This mismatch indicates that boreal forests are contracting on a continental scale…”
https://phys.org/news/2023-06-boreal-forests-verge.html
“Very rare weather conditions yesterday in Iceland.
“For the 3rd time in 25 years, the highest temperature in the country was recorded in a station above 500m asl. 23.6C [74.5F] at Upptyppingar (563m asl), very close to its June record.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1668967706391990276
“Incredible record day yesterday 13 June in Scotland.
“10 stations had their warmest June day on records, including 3 with long POR: 28.8 [83.8F] Lossiemouth; 28.5 West Freugh; 27.4 Machrinhanish; 23.2C Bealach Na Ba, record for any month (POR 2001-)!”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1668891026654900226
“Scottish weather: Lightning ‘shatters rock’ on top of Ben Nevis during thunderstorm…
“… on Monday, following a dramatic lightning display during a thunderstorm over the weekend, the rock structure, situated about 10m from the summit and made up of large boulders, had been split into pieces.”
“Isle of Man records its hottest June day.
“Ronaldsway Met Office have confirmed Tuesday was the hottest June day on the Isle of Man since records began. A temperature of 28.1C (82.58F) was recorded at the Isle of Man Airport.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy64j90nd3go
“River in ‘wettest place in England’ in Lake District almost completely dry.
“The upper River Derwent in Borrowdale in the Lake District – famous for its reputation as the wettest place in England – is almost completely dry, leading experts to warn of “disastrous conditions for wildlife”.”
“Severe drought: western Mediterranean faces low river flows and crop yields earlier than ever.
“A new report on drought in the western Mediterranean reveals the extent of the water shortage hitting the region. The severe drought is reducing soil moisture and river flows, and stunting plants and crops during their crucial growing season.”
“Heavy rains leave floods and roads cut in Catalonia…
“The rain in the co-capital has flooded several areas of the municipality, has caused the collapse of a wall of the Museu Nacional de la Ciència i la Tècnica de Catalunya (MNACTEC) and the C-16, C-58 and B-40 roads have had to be cut to traffic.”
https://www.elperiodico.com/es/tiempo/20230613/lluvia-deja-carreteras-cortadas-inundaciones-88650802
“Never ending heat in Southern Africa.
“Record heat conditions have been ongoing for weeks and records fall nearly every day. Today again over 33C in South Africa and over 34c [93.2F] Mozambique. Quelimane con 34.4C had its hottest June day on records.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1668687836143296520
“Ferocious flood engulfs former Olympic host city [Sochi, Russia].
“The Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi faced an emergency situation on Wednesday, as the local Matsesta river overflowed its banks due to heavy rainfall, filling the city streets with torrents of muddy water.”
“Samsun, a Turkish coastal city located along the Black Sea, was hit by heavy rainfall on Tuesday, leading to widespread flooding…
“During the night, an intense downpour turned the Samsun-Ankara highway into a lake, hindering transportation and causing significant disruptions. Determined to alleviate the situation, local citizens took matters into their own hands, attempting to evacuate floodwaters from their workplaces using whatever means available.”
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/201923/Torrential-rain-causes-severe-flooding-in-Turkey-s-Samsun
“Climate change pushes corals off Turkish coast to brink of extinction.
“The stony corals or coral Cladocora caespitosa, characteristic of the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, are facing extinction risks due to climate change and fishing, a recent study conducted by the Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TÜDAV) and Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University revealed.”
“Mass sea urchin deaths could threaten coral reefs in Middle East, scientists warn.
“Scientists have discovered why sea urchins are dying at an alarming rate in the Middle East – and poison or pollution are not to blame. Sea urchins have been killed in mass numbers in an epidemic scientists have warned could threaten the Arabian Gulf’s coral reefs, which rely on the creatures to keep algae at bay.”
“Relentless fierce heat in Middle East: Yesterday the Iranian Port of Bandar E- Dayyer with winds from inland had insane extremes of Tmin 37.2C Tmax 48.7C [119.7F].
“32.2/46.6 at Iranshar at 591m asl; Deadly muggy at Jask with 30C/32C of dew points 24/7. 49C again in Oman and Emirates.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1668935185847443457
“Iran MPs warn of ‘humanitarian disaster’ in east due to water shortage.
“Over 200 Iranian lawmakers have backed the government’s efforts to secure the country’s share of water from the Helmand River, warning of a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Iran’s eastern regions if no water reaches there in three months.”
https://ifpnews.com/iran-mps-humanitarian-disaster-east-water-shortage/
“Cyclone Biparjoy: More than 150,000 evacuated as India, Pakistan braces for storm.
“More than 150,000 people in India and Pakistan have been evacuated from the path of a fierce cyclone a day before its expected landfall. Forecasters have warned that Cyclone Biparjoy – which means “disaster” in Bengali- could destroy homes and crops.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-65911739
“India’s freaky weather causes mango shortage…
“Mango growers in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand are dismayed at what the volatile and abnormal weather has done to the mango season which Indians look forward to each year… nothing about the weather has been right since February.”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/indias-freaky-weather-causes-mango-shortage-28b76thl6
“Red floods near giant Indonesia nickel mine blight farms and fishing grounds.
“Farming communities in the shadow of Sulawesi’s giant Pomalaa nickel mining area say their fields have been flooded with red water, possibly laterite waste from the mining operations. Local farmers blame flooding from the mine for longer harvest cycles and reduced productivity.”
“Is this the new normal? Farmers [Waikato, NZ] face a waiting game heading into winter with saturated paddocks…
“Rainfall data captured and available on the council’s Environmental Data Hub shows record rainfall totals have been reached since the start of the year at gauges sited at the Pinnacles, Waitanguru and Whangamarino. The Pinnacles already reached the historical annual average in early May.”
“The worst drought for 70 years has forced officials operating the Panama Canal to impose strict draught limits to boats – in a move that will substantially impact supply chains.
“The new limits – imposed today – reduce the maximum below-the-waterline depth of vessels from the current 45.5 feet to 44 feet.”
“Historic day in Mexico: The city of Guadalajara (1551m) rose to an unbelievable 40.5C [104.9F] in its Airport, by far its hottest day in history.
“Insane heat allover the country with 47C [116.6F] at Ciudad Altamirano,40.0C at 1744m asl at Parral, 33.5C at La Bufa (2600m, record again).”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1668779417676705794
“Six dead in Cuba flooding, hundreds of houses damaged…
“Bridges, roads and sanitation systems were damaged by the rains, as well as several hundred homes. Thousands of hectares of crops, including sugar cane, were destroyed in the island nation battling its worst economic crisis in decades.”
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230613-six-dead-in-cuba-flooding-hundreds-of-houses-damaged
“Farmers Insurance Group stops writing new property policies in Florida.
“”Over the past 18 months in Florida, we’ve had 15 companies decide to stop writing new business,” Mark Friedlander, the Insurance Information Institute’s spokesperson, said… That now includes Farmers Insurance Group, who said in a statement.”
https://www.wesh.com/article/farmers-insurance-property-policies-florida/44189948
“Nearly two months of no rain and counting [Michigan]… Michigan farmers say this season is one of the driest they’ve ever experienced. Bill Hunt farms 11,000 acres across four counties in eastern Michigan and tells Brownfield this has been the driest growing season he’s seen in 50 years of farming.”
https://brownfieldagnews.com/news/nearly-two-months-of-no-rain-and-counting/
“Record-setting rainfall in Colorado Springs shifts flood mitigation efforts…
“Colorado Springs saw the largest two-day rainfall in the city’s history, leading to multiple road closures and multiple incidents. In the past two days, the city’s fire chief, Randy Royal, said they have responded to eight incidents.”
“May 2023 was the world’s third-warmest May on record [warmest on record for total world oceans]…
“May 2023 was Earth’s third-warmest May since global record-keeping began in 1850. It was 0.97 degree Celsius (1.75°F) above the 20th-century average, NOAA reported. NASA also rated May as the third-warmest May on record; the European Copernicus Climate Change Service rated it the second-warmest May, and the Japan Meteorological Agency rated it the warmest May on record.”
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2023/06/may-2023-was-the-worlds-third-warmest-may-on-record/
“Antarctic tipping points: the irreversible changes to come if we fail to keep warming below 2℃…
“Current global heating is taking the Earth system across a threshold humans have never experienced, into a climate where Antarctica’s ice shelves and marine ice sheets can no longer exist and one billion people, currently living near the coast, will be drowned by rising seas.”
“Everything is happening.
“While climate scientists have been talking about North Atlantic sea surface temperatures these last few days, what’s going on with sea ice in Antarctica is even more extreme, nearly 2.4 million km² below the 1991-2020 mean, with a big jump down today.”
https://twitter.com/EliotJacobson/status/1668952345223520258
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
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Panopticon!!
Did you miss one?
https://consortiumnews.com/2023/06/14/youth-plaintiffs-in-court-against-montana/
Is it a sign of some actual good news on the climate front, or just more comedy? From the article:
“The potentially far-reaching case is based on the state constitution, which enshrines the right to a clean and healthful environment, …”
The first such case about climate change to go to trial, Held v. Montana involves the specific impacts the climate crisis has on young people. …
This is just one of a spate of lawsuits underway challenging governments over their fossil fuel policies that drive climate change, as The Guardian reports: “‘Game changing’: spate of US lawsuits calls big oil to account for climate crisis.” “
I predict that the Montana legislature will simply change the constitution.
To render a fair judgement, you would really need some excellent systems-thinkers like David Korowicz or Nate Hagens standing as expert witnesses.
A clean and healthful environment is no longer compatible with modern industrial civilisation, unfortunately. You can’t just legislate one into existence.
“You can’t just legislate one into existence. …”
Indeed not, we are on the same page. But the case is now being tried and so we will be able to hear the punch line soon enough.
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/06/in-court-testimony-climate-scientists-rebuke-montana-for-support-of-fossil-fuels.html
1. The plaintiffs loose, so the punch line is, “We here in Montana are real men and therefore enjoy environmental degradation.” 🙂
or “The constitution “says” that people have the right to a clean environment, but “clean” includes forest fire smoke, lost glaciers, etc..”
This is definitely worth following, IMO.
I suppose, thinking about it some more, you might be able to legislate for some fleeting, localised improvements in the environment but those are likely to come at someone else’s expense.
There was another story that I thought I should follow … but i cant remember what it was. I guess I should write these things down.
” … localised improvements in the environment but those are likely to come at someone else’s expense.”
True, but I want to see what the verdict is just for giggles.
I agree that the trial will probably have some merit as a spectator sport.
IMO anyone who thinks a legal case will make a meaningful difference is loco.
Anytime I hear anything about any of the Clever Apes’ problems,I ask ; What happens when a species overpopulates it’s habitat? I don’t know but we may be about to find out. 😉
The old saying about not talking about politics & religion left out overpopulation. Not to worry, no one will even speak the word.
“Your children aren’t special.” – Bill Hicks
Ego is man’s worse DNA gene?
People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage. – John Kenneth Galbraith
Pintada? Aussie youth already did something similar in 2021/22:
‘A duty of care’: Australian teenagers take their climate crisis plea to court:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/02/a-duty-of-care-australian-teenagers-take-their-climate-crisis-plea-to-court
They lost on the subsequent fed Government’s Appeal.
From the article:
“The teenagers and their legal team argue the federal environment minister, Sussan Ley, would be breaching a common law duty of care to protect younger people against future harm if she used her powers under national environment laws to allow the mine extension to go ahead.”
So, yes, clearly this type of case has been tried before. The difference, I think, is that the Australian case was based on environmental laws while the Montana plaintiffs seek to cause the constitution to be enforced. The constitutional law is easier to argue, IMO.
In any event, the plaintiffs will loose, or the outcome of the trial will be ignored. I’m just interested in the tap dancing the officials will need to do one way or the other. I would bet that the “reasoning” that was used to justify the ruling in the Australian case would be a hoot to read. Unfortunately for me, I am too ignorant to find that ruling in the Australian legal records which are no doubt public, and likely on-line.