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.

Many thanks to my special sponsor for September 2024 – ANON


“Phoenix finally snaps record streak of triple-digit temperatures after 113 days [beating the previous record by 37 days]

“The slight temperature drop brought an end to the triple-digit run, which lasted 113 days. The previous record of 76 consecutive days fell on Aug. 24. All three previous records ended in August, while this year’s hot streak continued into mid-September.”

https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/phoenix-100-degree-temperature-streak-ends


“What the jet stream and climate change had to do with the hottest summer on record − remember all those heat domes?

“…The temperature difference between the equator and the pole determines the strength of the jet stream in each hemisphere. Because the Arctic is warming faster than the tropics, the temperature difference between the two regions is lessened. And that slows the jet stream.”

https://theconversation.com/what-the-jet-stream-and-climate-change-had-to-do-with-the-hottest-summer-on-record-remember-all-those-heat-domes-238493


“Drought, flooding, drought again: Is ‘weather whiplash’ our new normal? [California].

“Natural disasters are increasingly happening in quick succession, raising new threats… in October 2021 California had just seen its second-driest year on record, and Lake Oroville was at its lowest level ever… But by the end of that month, a “bomb cyclone” atmospheric river had dumped so much water that Lake Oroville’s surface level rose by 30 feet in one week.”

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/weather-climate-whiplash-drought-floods-heat-wildfires


“Seems like this should be a bigger story! Virginia Key (near Miami) is having its 2nd consecutive day of record-breaking high tides, and the records are falling by ~5 inches!

“That’s huge – especially this time of year. Today’s is also the 24th record high tide of the year.”

https://x.com/BMcNoldy/status/1836459914329223408


“North Carolina braces for more after ‘historic’ rainfall wreaks havoc across state…

“The storm, which did not get organized enough to be given a name, dissipated Tuesday but still brought heavy rain to parts of southeastern Virginia, also triggering flash-flood watches. The low pressure system dropped levels of rain seen once every 1,000 years.”

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/09/17/north-carolina-storm-flash-flood-watch-warnings/75259541007/


“Southeast Michigan could be driest September ever. Well, since we’ve kept records, at least…

“”We’re just enjoying a pretty remarkable stretch of nice weather for mid-September,” Bryan Tilley, a National Weather Service meteorologist told the Free Press. “The stats are impressive for this time of year in this part of the Great Lakes.””

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/southeast-michigan-could-be-driest-september-ever-well-since-weve-kept-records-at-least/ar-AA1qEKRF?ocid=BingNewsBrowse


“Severe storm threat lingers over Prairies as many areas deal with floods.

“Parts of southern Manitoba have already picked up more than 150 mm 6 inches] of rain, with the hardest-hit areas of Saskatchewan in line for significant totals into Thursday, as well. That’s as a potent stateside system slowly moves its way eastward over the region.”

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/weather/forecasts/severe-storm-threat-lingers-over-the-prairies-risk-of-flooding-rains-strong-winds


“Impressive warmth in CANADA. 30C reached in 6 provinces (SK,ON,QC,NB,NS,NB) in the past 2 days. Not a joke for mid September.

“Even more impressive the 26.1C [79F] at ST PIERRE ET MIQUELON (French Territory); unprecedented for this time of the year.”

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1836505020646162939


“Arctic warming may fuel ice formation in clouds…

“The composition of such clouds plays a crucial role in the region’s energy balance and climate system. Clouds with more liquid last longer and reflect more sunlight than those with more ice crystals… The findings are concerning…”

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1058545


“The Arctic Seed Vault Shows the Flawed Logic of Climate Adaptation…

“…already chinks in the vault’s armor have appeared. In 2017 the vault suffered a flood caused, ironically, by climate change… the breach—less than a decade after the vault opened—shows that we humans are not very good at anticipating change, even in the short run.”

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-arctic-seed-vault-shows-the-flawed-logic-of-climate-adaptation/


“Norway says elevated radiation levels due to forest fire near Chornobyl…

“”DSA always finds caesium at all air filter stations in Norway, and this often comes from stirred-up dust from old fallout from the Chornobyl accident,” it said in an update on Wednesday. “This time it is most likely that the forest fire around Chornobyl is to blame.””

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-has-not-issued-any-alerts-elevated-radiation-atmosphere-kremlin-says-2024-09-18/


“As warm as in early August: autumn in Kyiv has set a new record.

“On September 16, a new temperature record was set in Kyiv: the minimum temperature did not fall below 17.5°C. This is 0.9°C higher than the previous record set in 1955 and corresponds to the beginning of August according to the climate norm.”

https://unn.ua/en/news/as-warm-as-in-early-august-autumn-in-kyiv-has-set-a-new-record


“Businesses ‘still feeling effects’ of Storm Babet [UK]…

“About 1,600 properties in the county were flooded following Storm Babet in October 2023, causing millions of pounds of damage to homes and businesses. Some owners say they are still having to carry out their own repairs or make insurance claims nearly a year on from the damage.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y0m3de83do


“Vast France building project sunk by sea level rise fears…

“An ambitious housing project in the northwestern French city of Caen has run aground over worries that rising waters driven by climate change could make the area unlivable within the century.”

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240919-vast-france-building-project-sunk-by-sea-level-rise-fears


“Floods prompt Poland’s first-ever state of natural disaster. What does this mean?

“In response to ongoing major floods in the southwest of the country, Poland has for the first time in history introduced a state of natural disaster, one of three extraordinary legal tools provided in the 1997 constitution.”

https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/09/19/floods-prompt-polands-first-ever-state-of-natural-disaster-what-does-this-mean/


“Boats are better than cars in the Polish town where floods have damaged 80% of homes.

“Across central Europe, at least 22 people have died after Storm Boris left large areas submerged, causing havoc in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Austria.”

https://news.sky.com/story/boats-are-better-than-cars-in-the-polish-town-where-floods-have-damaged-80-of-homes-13216896


“Austrian official Sept. snow record was broken! 145 cm at Rudolfshütte (2317 m Salzburg).

“Highest value ever observed in Austria in Sept. below 2400 m (among official stations because some places had far more snow!).”

https://x.com/subfossilguy/status/1836108687406174471


“Around fifteen cars were swept away by the waters this Wednesday after the ravine overflowed. in the town of Alcalá del Júcar (Albacete, Spain).

“According to sources from Europa Press, Castilla-La Mancha emergency service 112At that time it was not raining in the city, but “it had rained higher up”, when a flood of water crossed the city.”

https://topbuzztimes.com/about-fifteen-cars-were-swept-away-by-the-water-after-the-ravine-overflowed-in-alcala-del-jucar/


“Storm Boris batters northern Italy bringing severe flooding and landslides…

“Pounding rain hit Emilia-Romagna late on Wednesday afternoon and the situation rapidly worsened as night fell. Jader Dardi, the mayor of Modigliana, a town in Forlì-Cesena province that was also hit badly by devastating regional flooding in May 2023, said the river had “exploded”.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/18/storm-boris-batters-northern-italy-bringing-severe-flooding-and-landslides


“According to the analysis, Türkiye has experienced the hottest June-August period since at least 1970 [when records began], largely due to climate change.

“Average temperatures were 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than normal during this period.”

https://www.dailysabah.com/turkiye/turkiyes-summer-hits-1970-record-76-million-face-extreme-heat/news


“As wildfires wipe out forests, Greeks debate: to replant, or not?

“When a wildfire tore down a hillside towards Athens last month, its southernmost flank halted in a treeless area burned by fire two years before. A few miles west, however, the blaze found fresh fuel: woods and scrub that offered a path towards the city’s suburbs.”

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/wildfires-wipe-out-forests-greeks-debate-replant-or-not-2024-09-19/


“Portugal declares a state of calamity as wildfires rage out of control [aerial view]…

“More than 100 wildfires stretched thousands of firefighters to the limit in northern Portugal on Wednesday, with seven deaths since the worst spate of fires in recent years spread out of control over the weekend.”

https://apnews.com/article/portugal-wildfires-calamity-climate-change-aveiro-bb8abc72159bcdf2ba1443168cfa7ba6


“Recent heatwaves as a prelude to climate extremes in the western Mediterranean region…

“The 2022 and 2023 western Mediterranean summer temperatures exceeded millennial natural variability, reaching unprecedented anomalies of +3.6 °C and +2.9 °C respectively. We show that anthropogenic climate change may turn extreme heatwaves from a rarity of 1 in 10,000 years into events occurring every 4–75 years, depending on future scenarios.”

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41612-024-00771-6


“Maghreb | Strong weather instability for several days, accompanied by heavy rains and hailstorms…

“…a state of complex characteristics of atmospheric instability is formed over 4 Arab countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and northwestern Libya) starting from the evening of Wednesday 9/14/2024, and intensifying on Thursday.”

https://www.arabiaweather.com/en/content/maghreb-strong-weather-instability-for-several-days-accompanied-by-heavy-rains-and-hailstorms


“Flood warnings in Nigeria over release of water from Cameroon dam…

“Authorities in Nigeria have warned of the potential for flooding in 11 states after neighbouring Cameroon said it would start regulated releases from its Lagdo dam following recent heavy rainfall in west and central Africa.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/18/flood-warnings-in-nigeria-over-release-of-water-from-cameroon-dam


“Nigeria’s flood-hit residents lament expensive canoe rides…

“When floods swept through Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri last week, canoe owners volunteered to help move residents to safety. But residents say they are now being ripped off by the canoe owners charging steep fees to move their belongings.”

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigerias-flood-hit-residents-lament-expensive-canoe-rides-2024-09-19/


“Why the climate crisis is a generational opportunity for Africa.

“Africa has assets, including minerals and the largest carbon sinks in the world, that could be converted into financial resources to invest in growth and deal with climate change… we actually could get almost $29 billion annually from climate due to carbon markets…”

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/why-the-climate-crisis-is-a-generational-opportunity-for-africa/


“Relentless record heat in INDIA: Heat has been specially harsh in Tamil Nadu with minimums >30C and maxes locally >40C.

“Most important September records broken: 41.1 [106F] Chennai AP; 41.0 Madurai AP; 40.1 Kavali; 39.6 Erode; 38.9 Atiramapattinam; 38.8 Karaikal.”

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1836586004767215728


“The rainfall in Ningxia, Gansu and Inner Mongolia in northwest China in the past month was 5 to 10 times that of the same period in normal years.

“The original desert has turned into grassland!”

https://x.com/yangyubin1998/status/1836404855038185777


“Today, China’s heat wave continued to intensify.

“84 stations broke the mid-September record, 10 stations tied record, two of which broke full-month record, and 6 stations exceeded 40C [104F].”

https://x.com/yangyubin1998/status/1836391296015192111


“Tropical Storm Pulasan Nears Shanghai [and then on to poor Vietnam], Days After Typhoon Hit City.

“Tropical Storm Pulasan was heading toward Shanghai on Thursday, three days after the strongest typhoon to hit the Chinese financial hub in 75 years brought the city to a standstill.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/19/world/asia/tropical-storm-pulasan-shanghai.html


“HISTORIC HEAT IN HONG KONG – 37.4 [99.3F] at the Airport.

“HOTTEST SEPTEMBER DAY EVER RECORDED IN HONG KONG TIED. 

Minimums >29C in Hong Kong and Macau. Record heat persists in all East Asia, in every single country.”

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1836038441420607714


“EXTRAORDINARY HEAT IN THE KOREAS – 100% of the stations destroyed their September records [again] with huge margins multiple times in a row.

“100% of South Korea including the mountains had a tropical night. Absolutely unbelievable.”

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1836209881528857003


“HISTORIC HEAT IN JAPAN – 30C at night and 38C in the day.

“There are no more words to describe the insanity going on in East Asia with thousands of records smashed; Last records of high minimums 18 Sept and max. 19 Sept includes 3 stations >38C.”

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1836643130843570666


“4,157 people taken to hospital with heatstroke in the week ending September 15 nationwide: “Further measures must be taken” [Japan]…

“As the relentless summer heat continues, over 4,000 people nationwide were taken to hospitals with heatstroke in the week leading up to the 15th of this month, a high number for this time of year.”

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240918/k10014585151000.html


“Torrential downpour traps drivers in Pattaya [Thailand], cars swept away by floodwaters…

“Several main roads were submerged, leaving small vehicles stranded. Flood-prone zones were hit particularly hard, including the railway road between Khao Talo and Wat Tham Samakkhi…”

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/torrential-downpour-traps-drivers-in-pattaya-cars-swept-away-by-floodwaters-472825


“Australia is a mess. Cop31 is a chance to redefine ourselves from climate laggard to global leader…

“Holding Cop31 in Australia, in conjunction with the Pacific, will invite the rest of the world to our country. Most will come with an ambition to transition to clean, renewable energy in order to safeguard the lives, homes and livelihoods of people worldwide.”

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/sep/19/cop31-climate-conference-australia-hosting-bid


“Antarctica’s receding sea ice could impact seabirds’ food supply…

“The findings suggest that Antarctica’s shrinking sea ice could force seabirds to travel further from their breeding grounds to find food or it could alter the patterns of where that food can be found. In turn, this could affect the ecosystems these birds are a part of.”

https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/news/antarcticas-receding-sea-ice-could-impact-seabirds-food-supply


“RECORD HEAT IN THE AMAZON REGION – it’s the harshest heat wave in Amazon history with records falling every day.

“BRAZIL: Manaus HOTTEST NIGHT ever Tmin 29.7C [85.5F]; September record heat; 41.6C Lagoa da Confusao (Tocantins State); 41.0C Alto Parnaiba (Maranhao State); 41C also in Piau State.”

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1836159417739276623


“The worst drought on record has lowered the water level of the rivers in the Amazon basin to historic lows, in some cases drying up riverbeds that were previously navigable waterways.

“The Solimoes, one of the main tributaries of the mighty Amazon River whose waters originate in the Peruvian Andes, has fallen to its lowest level on record in Tabatinga…”

https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/worst-drought-record-lowers-amazon-rivers-all-time-lows-2024-09-18/


“Peru declares state of emergency over deadly forest fires…

“Peruvian President Dina Boluarte declared a state of emergency Wednesday in three regions of the country where a wave of forest fires has been spreading and destroying thousands of hectares of woodland. The National Institute of Civil Defense has reported 34 active forest fires that have killed 16 people…”

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/peru-declares-state-of-emergency-over-deadly-forest-fires/3334297


“Mudslide in Naucalpan, México state kills 6 people…

“Heavy rains in the Mexico City metropolitan area caused a fatal mudslide in the capital’s outskirts on Monday night, just days after a similar disaster that killed nine people in another México state municipality.”

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/mudslide-naucalpan-mexico-state-kills-6/


“Yes it’s mid-late September and the Caribbean Sea is typically nearing its warmest point of the year… but this is REALLY warm!

“(The area-averaged ocean heat content is even higher than it was in 2023 on this date).”

https://x.com/BMcNoldy/status/1836442803175363016


“The North Atlantic Ocean as whole hasn’t been below pre-2023 records for 561 days.

“Which is completely insane. But don’t mention the aerosol termination shock! Wasn’t the Atlantic supposed to be cooling down at record speed, according to some supposedly respectable sources?“

https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/1836073557111025882


“In case you are wondering, and I am certain you are, yesterday’s global sea surface temperature was a mere 4.84 standard deviations above the 1982-2011 mean. In a stable world without climate change, that would be about a 1-in-1.5 million chance.”

https://x.com/EliotJacobson/status/1836444292535193627


“The increase in Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) can’t keep up with the increase in Absorbed Solar Radiation (ASR).

“Comparing El Niños: Temp: +0.34°C; ASR: +0.92 W/m²’; OLR: +0.85 W/m²; Net flux: +0.07 W/m²…

“Earth’s Energy Imbalance July 2023–June 2024: 0.93 W/m²”

https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/1835729287594357171


“Exploring climate change through mobile games…

“In the game, players battle each other on maps inspired by real-world locations… the new “Ruins of Erangel” map series reimagines the locale after 100 years beset by rampant sandstorms, drought, and a depletion of tree and plant life.”

https://phys.org/news/2024-09-exploring-climate-mobile-games.html


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