Very many thanks to this month’s kind sponsor, John Bee, who wishes me to exhort, “Go Steelers!”
“World’s 1.5C climate target ‘deader than a doornail’, experts say…
“You shouldn’t ask scientists how to galvanize the world because clearly we don’t have a fucking clue. People haven’t got a magic set of words to keep us to 1.5C, but we have got to keep trying.” [Gavin Schmidt, NASA].
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/18/climate-crisis-world-temperature-target
“Our 1.5°C Climate Goal Has Gone Up In Smoke—What Now?
“…Surpassing 1.5°C should be the wake-up call we desperately need to redouble our efforts on climate mitigation. Just as adhering to a proper diet and exercise become even more important after a heart attack, climate action becomes more essential above 1.5°C.”
“No one who actually understands what the greenhouse gas forcing is questioned this graph of the GHG forcing of past 130,000 years.
“It looks unbelievable, but we’d better believe it… this is the scale of humanity’s impact on the global climate.
“We haven’t seen anything yet.”
https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/1858504333945450698
“Breaking News! Code UFB!!!
“For those who are keeping up with the f&%kery with global sea-ice extent, it appears that the maximum for this year was on November 11, setting a new record low maximum of 23,489,326 km².
“This is the first time the maximum has been below 23,500,000 km².”
https://bsky.app/profile/climatecasino.net/post/3lb62doghgc2c
“‘Arctic Niño’ might emerge in an ice-free world.
“A novel type of climate oscillation might emerge in the Arctic Ocean owing to sea-ice melting. The air–sea coupling feedbacks occurring in the ice-free Arctic Ocean would trigger periodic warm–cold temperature oscillations, similar to El Niño and La Niña in the tropical Pacific Ocean.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-024-02175-z
“Vital Atlantic Ocean current [AMOC] is already weakening due to melting ice…
“Given the pace at which the world is now overshooting its emissions targets and the rate at which Greenland’s ice sheet is melting, the researchers say the current’s strength could fall by as much as a third within 15 years.”
“”We see a radical change in the marine ecosystem” [Svalbard]…
“Few know better than Jørgen Berge how climate changes are impacting the marine life around Svalbard. He is clear: The Atlantification of the Arctic Ocean is underway… Kongsfjorden (Kings Bay) is warming quickly…”
“The Arctic Could Burn by the End of This Century—Here’s Why We Should Be Terrified.
“The Arctic, once considered immune to wildfires, is facing an alarming transformation as permafrost thaws and releases vast amounts of greenhouse gases. Scientists warn that by the end of this century, wildfires could ravage the region.”
https://dailygalaxy.com/2024/11/the-arctic-could-burn-by-the-end-of-this-century/
“Alberta [Canada] likely setting record for warmest fall…
““(Winter) can’t arrive to the south unless it arrives to the north,” said Phillips. “The Arctic has been setting records this fall for warmer temperatures. Nature hasn’t got the email yet that this is supposed to be winter.”“
“October floods add another C$110mn+ to Canadian cat losses.
“An atmospheric river that caused widespread flooding along the southern British Columbia coastline in Canada between 18 and 20 October has generated insured damages of over C$110mn ($78mn), according to Catastrophe Indices Qualification and Quantification.”
https://www.theinsurer.com/news/october-floods-add-another-c110mn-to-canadian-cat-losses/
“Americans face an insurability crisis as climate change worsens disasters…
“According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, homeowners insurance increased an average of 11.3% nationwide in 2023, with some states, including Texas, Arizona and Utah, seeing nearly double that increase. Some analysts predict an average increase of about 6% in 2024.”
“California Braces for Flash Floods and Landslides From Powerful Pacific Storm…
“Torrential rains will pound Northern California and Oregon for days as a powerful storm known as an atmospheric river unwinds a stream of moisture from the Pacific Ocean, threatening to unleash floods and landslides.”
“Record warmth on Lake Michigan…
“The current Lake Michigan surface water temperature is 6.3 degrees warmer than normal. For a body of water as large as Lake Michigan, this is an extreme amount of warm water as we head into winter.”
“New York City gets first drought warning in 20 years as mayor warns of severe water shortages.
“New York City officials on Monday announced the first drought warning in over two decades, as the city struggles with a “historic” lack of precipitation that’s leaving reservoirs below their typical levels.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/new-york-city-drought-warning-b2649461.html
“Wichita breaks a 114-year-old record for rainfall [wettest November].
“Wichita has set a record for monthly rainfall. The National Weather Service in Wichita says that as of 8 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 18, Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport recorded .95 inches of rainfall, bringing the monthly total to 6.92 inches.”
https://www.ksn.com/weather/weather-stories/wichita-sets-monthly-rainfall-record-for-november/
“UNBELIEVABLE – minimum temperatures up to 81F in Texas on a November 18th! Typical of mid-summer.
“Rio Grande lead the “race” with a July-like maximum temperature of 98F today after having minimums up to 81F. Next nights will be summer like in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama with minimums up to 77F, always July-like.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1858571124411416816
“Government Help Isn’t On The Way For Texas Construction Workers Dealing With Rising Temps.
“As Houstonians get ready to celebrate a balmy Thanksgiving, the climate change-fueled rise in temperatures is hard to ignore. Heat has long been a particular threat to construction workers in Houston, the most dangerous American city for laborers…”
“EXCEPTIONAL HEAT IN THE CARIBBEAN – Martinique with record heat broken and rebroken every single day.
“33.4C [92.1F] Carravelle- broken for the 4th time Temperatures in the past days up to 35.3C at St Pierre, never happened in November. All tropics are warming up at unprecedented levels.“
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1858323246921490691
“Hundreds of Honduran villages cut off by torrential rain.
“The slow-moving storm caused widespread flooding across the Central American nation. So far, Honduran officials have confirmed only one death but said that more than 110,000 people had been affected by the storm.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly0jzekw84o
“Tropical Storm Sara has produced an astonishing amount of rain over Central America the last few days.
“Totals upwards of *90 inches* have been observed in La Ceiba, Honduras. This is over 7 feet of rain…”
https://x.com/weatherman_aaa/status/1858613472524738658
“Petare: several areas of the Pérez de León Hospital were flooded after heavy rains [Venezuela]…
“Several areas of the Ana Francisca Pérez de León Hospital located in Petare, Sucre municipality of Miranda state, were flooded this Sunday after heavy rains… The emergency area had to be cleaned by doctors and hospital maintenance staff, El Pitazo added.”
“Ecuador declares national emergency as wildfires, drought intensify.
“The South American country has been rationing electricity due to the drought. The emergency decree comes as Ecuador struggles with an energy crisis that has led to power outages of up to 14 hours a day in recent months.”
“Chablis wineries see ‘crazy’ climate and small 2024 harvest…
“Frost, hail, mildew and above-average rainfall in spring and early summer all presented challenges for growers, said Espitalié… A BIVB report on the Chablis 2024 harvest said that yields varied considerably, sometimes within a single village.”
https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/chablis-wine-2024-harvest-climate-interview-544109/
“Spain’s Record-Breaking Floods Push Insured Losses Above €4 Billion ($4.2 Billion)…
“Morningstar expects that the economic and insured losses generated by this event will be the largest in Spain’s history, with a significant number of vehicles, residential properties, businesses, and agricultural sites affected.”
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2024/11/18/801661.htm
“‘Dana’ storm deposited more than 250mm [10 inches] of rain in just eight hours in village east of Malaga…
“The powerful ‘Dana’ storm that swept through much of Malaga province and particularly affected Benamargosa in the Axarquía on Wednesday 13 November saw a historic episode of torrential rainfall…”
“Madagascar’s lychee growers in crisis as production plummets..
“The lychee harvest season is under way in Madagascar – the world’s top producer of the prized pink fruit – but growers and exporters are facing a major crisis, as forecasts indicate a staggering drop in yields this year.”
“Intense November heat in the Middle East with the scorcher going on without any end in sight.
“Today at 36C [96.8F] at Bandar Langeh on the IRAN coast, with minimum temperatures still of 27C in OMAN. There has never been anything like this in November. And it follows a record hot October.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1858168060055540053
“Iraq: Drought slashes seasonal harvest, water and food supply.
“Extreme temperatures and long, dry spells have forced one in two Iraqi families to cultivate less land or use less water during the 2024 farming season compared to previous years, compounding a severe drought crisis in the country…”
https://www.nrc.no/news/2024/november/iraq-drought-slashes-seasonal-harvest-water-and-food-supply/
“Climate Change Set To Have an Oversized Impact on Afghanistan…
“Decades of war and environmental degradation have made Afghanistan the fourth most vulnerable country in the world to the impacts of climate change. Rising temperatures have exacerbated the frequency and severity of natural disasters, including droughts, floods, and landslides…”
“India’s monsoon shift: West gets wet, East dries out.
“The western parts of India will experience a significant increase in precipitation compared to most of the eastern and northeastern parts of the country in the period up to 2040 due to climate change, according to a new analysis.”
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/indias-monsoon-shift-west-gets-wet-east-dries-out/
“EAST ASIA HEAT WAVE – more November records broken:
“CHINA (yesterday) MIN. 23.7 Fuzhou; max. 19.0 Luolong (tibet); BRUNEI 36.3 [97.3F] Sukang NATIONAL HEAT RECORD FOR NOVEMBER… INDONESIA High Tmin 27.7 Jayapura.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1858121069338751266
“UNBELIEVABLE SUMMER HEAT IN JAPAN – temperatures above 31C [87.8F] and NIGHT MINIMUM up to 27C, typical of mid summer.
“Monthly records broken: MAX: 31.1 Shimoji, 26.5 Mino, 16.8 Chipomanai; HIGH TMIN: 27.0 Ishigaki, 26.4 Yonaguni, 25.9 Iriomote, 26.0 Ohara.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1857967183189467616
“Major insurers in Japan brainstorming hail countermeasures amid huge pay-outs…
“Against a backdrop of abnormal weather phenomena, hailstorms are frequently occurring, and in some cases insurance payouts can climb as high as tens of billions of yen (hundreds of millions of dollars) from one incident, which can in turn push up insurance premiums.”
“Philippines: Sixth typhoon in a month brings deadly floods.
“Super Typhoon Man-yi, known locally as Pepito, wreaked havoc across the Philippine archipelago over the weekend with high winds and massive downpours that caused landslides and storm surges… Man-yi was the sixth major storm to hit the country in a month.”
https://www.dw.com/en/philippines-sixth-typhoon-in-a-month-brings-deadly-floods/a-70809455
“SE ASIA + Australia ENDLESS RECORD HEAT:
“Widespread records for November: PHILIPPINES 36.2 Butuan, High Tmins: 27.0 Maasin and General Santos; MALAYSIA: 35.7 Chuping, MYANMAR: 36.4 Gangaw; THAILAND: 35.5 Takua Pa; AUSTRALIA: 39.6 Weipa, Tmin 29.6 Derby, 26.7 Middle Point.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1858487008743862643
“‘Graveyard of corals’ found after extreme heat and cyclones hit northern Great Barrier Reef…
“Reefs across the north of the Great Barrier Reef have seen “substantial losses” of coral cover after a summer of extreme heat, two cyclones and major flooding, according to the first results of surveys from government marine scientists.”
“Dengue fever spiked to record levels in 2024: Climate change will make it even worse…
““Dengue is really having its biggest year in history,” said Dr. Gabriela Paz-Bailey, chief of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s dengue branch, based in Puerto Rico. “Around the world, dengue cases have been rising at an alarming rate.””
“Climate Change Is Altering Animals’ Colors.
“Lizards in France have grown lighter in color and so are many insects and birds across the globe. The effects of a changing climate are plainly visible throughout the animal kingdom.”
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-change-is-altering-animals-colors/
“‘The sixth great extinction is happening’, conservation expert warns…
““So much has changed in my lifetime,” she says, recalling that in the forests of Tanzania where she began studying chimps more than 60 years ago, “you used to be able to set your calendar by the timing of the two rainy seasons”.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93qvqx5y01o
“Climate Finance Is Failing Farmers Punished by Global Warming.
“Less than 3% of all public climate finance goes to food systems, despite global warming’s catastrophic impact on agriculture… “Food is not an elected add-on for climate, future proofing our planet. It is a requisite,” said Sara Farley, vice president of the global food portfolio at the Rockefeller Foundation.”
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From the Guardian:
“Despite this bleak outlook, some do point out that the picture still looks far rosier than it did before the Paris deal.” – utter cobblers.
Everything has sped up since the 2015 COP, the frequency and consequence of extreme climate events have been shown to be worse than estimated, tipping point thresholds have dropped, more governments are turning away from any pretence at addressing climate change, accelerating feedbacks between climate and other aspects of human overshoot are continually showing up and we’ve had the “Pathways in the Anthropocene paper that indicates we might be in a runaway to hothouse.
The tipping point for loss of Barents Sea ice has been estimated at 1.6, but a minimum of 1.5. So far no ice showing this tear. Once it’s gone all sorts of even more peculiar things are going to be seen as circulation patterns in the oceans and atmosphere change.
George, clearly we are in bat shit crazy land as your comment and Panopticon’s thread today demonstrate. It breaks my heart watching it unfold and thinking about what our formerly beautiful planet will look like in the not too distant future. Burnt to a crisp, flooded and poisoned. (All of which are obviously well underway.)
Agreed!
Yep, everything does look bleak, indeed…
China’s Soaring Emissions Are Upending Climate Politics
By Brad Plumer and Mira Rojanasakul Nov. 18, 2024
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/19/climate/china-emissions-fossil-fuels-climate.html
China’s astonishing rise is upending that dynamic.
Over the past three decades, China has built more than 1,000 coal-fired power plants as its economy has grown more than 40-fold. The country has become by far the largest annual emitter of greenhouse gases in the world.
…..China, for its part, has promised that its emissions will peak this decade and then start falling.
Remarkable how the world fiddle faddles as the planet burns,…such is the tragedy of existence…Jiddu Krishnamurti
“China’s historical responsibility for climate change has become a major point of contention in global climate politics.”
If it weren’t for Chinese coal-burning the global economy would already be stuck in a depression without end; probably it would have collapsed. I guess it is easier for politicians to point fingers than acknowledge such unpalatable truths.
“As long as the mind is in conflict – blaming, resisting, condemning – there can be no understanding. If I want to understand you, I must not condemn you, obviously,” says Jiddu.
Thanks for the clarification. I would post this New York times article on Tverbreg’s OFW, but it probably wouldn’t be received as well.
Seems the Chinese were doing OK and the world also before going all out on development without those coal fired power plants. Of course, most had one set of cloths, maybe owning a bicycle and trans radio, if lucky.
Blame is for God and small children….
Dustin Hoffmanas Louis Dega in the movie “Papillon”.
I prefer the Honest Sorcerer account myself,
We did it because we could and there was no plan as such….
This Civilization Is Not Interested in Saving Itself
https://thehonestsorcerer.medium.com/this-civilization-is-not-interested-in-saving-itself-275d1ccf005a
Maybe I’m on the wrong blog, excuse me.
Civilization” does not have a vision or goal, neither does it care if this whole process is sustainable or not. — *Crunch, munch, gulp* — It does not care about the future, nor the past: it only exists (or does what it does) in the present. Mind you, no one designed it to be as such, it has evolved to be exactly the way it looks like today. Simply put: out of the many ideas on how to live a good life, modernity — the industrial scale consumption of the planet — has prevailed. Not because it was the best in absolute terms. No. Just because it could.
Honest Sorcerer
I’m just a Guilty Bystander, per Thomas Merton
George, re the Barents Sea, a new study:
“The northern Barents Sea could be 7C warmer in 2050. The Barents Sea is heading toward an ice-free future…”
https://www.sciencenorway.no/arctic-climate-climate-change/new-study-the-northern-barents-sea-could-be-seven-degrees-warmer-in-2050/2429820
re TexAss construction workers story.
Thats a big don’t GAF from me. Reap what ya sow.
I tend to agree. I find it very difficult to empathise with those who are causing the problem, but I feel awful for the people of the Phillippines and other places who have done little to deserve 6 typhoons in a single month!
IDK. I do feel sorry for them. Construction Labourers in Texas are mostly poor Latinos and Talent.com tells me their salaries average a pretty stingy $33,160 per year.
The set up is not as brutal as that endured by, for example, migrant workers in Saudi or UAE… but really? Cancelling mandated water-breaks? Seems harsh to me.
“Outdoor workers express anger and fear of potential repercussions after governor rescinds mandatory breaks amid extreme heat.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/02/texas-construction-worker-water-break-law-heat-exhaustion-abbott
I agree with you, Panopticon. Let’s not blame the victims. They are just trying to survive in a terminally ill civilization that they did not create. Any more than the rest of us, who are also doing the same.
GAF – Globally Accepted Fubar
The Planet Under Threat of Breakdown by Robert Hunziker
https://dissidentvoice.org/2024/11/the-planet-under-threat-of-breakdown/
Edward, thank you, it is a good article. Robert mentions this theory in the final para:
“According to some climate experts, Trump’s re-election and his statements that green energy is a scam, and the likelihood that he withdraws the US from UN Climate agreements might drive a new sense of unity, even building a coalition that actually does something positive to stop fossil fuel emissions.”
It’s kind of inspirational, the creative rationalisations people come up with to maintain a sense of optimism. Apparently, 80% of us are inclined to do that:
“Across many different methods and domains, studies consistently report that a large majority of the population (about 80% according to most estimates) display an optimism bias.”
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(11)01191-2
Honduras, 93 inches of rain in 3 days? Over 7 feet? An inch an hour. How is that survivable?
Ebony Peat, it boggles the mind, doesn’t it? Hurricane Harvey maxed out at just over 60 inches, and that was over a four-day period. It caused over 100 deaths.
Andrew Austin-Adler goes on to say in his Tweet/X that this rainfall total, if confirmed, will mean Sara displacing typhoon Nari (2001), as the tenth wettest storm of all time. Nari killed 94 people in Taiwan.
I have to assume that there are many unannounced fatalities in Honduras at this stage.
To the 8 billion ten feet tall & bullet proof egos, Finding Out is not as fun as Fucking Around. Each one of these individuals think that they are immune to the affects of their decisions, as disaster spreads to others. “Someone is knocking on the door. I’ll get it. Oh, It’s just NTHE.”
Warren Buffet said that the U.S. can’t repay it’s debt. Catch up,Warren.
The Great Soothsayer, TR said: “Someone is not going to be repaid.”
He’s brilliant because he can do rithmatyck.
Putin threatening to use nuclear weapons, again.
Biden should move to Def Con 1. Stupid Russians, America has used nuclear bombs twice. Let’s see who has the biggest testicles & while we’re waiting, tuck you heads between your legs & kiss your asses goodby. 😉
@ Pan, I remember you saying something about oil company paying in 1 million a day to keep stock prices up. This article suggests collusion between all oil companies to inflate prices, costing families in USA £1000 a year.
Not that it matters really, I suppose if it was cheaper it would have been used more quickly and we would be a few years nearer the end.
https://pitchforkeconomics.com/episode/how-big-oil-rigged-the-system-and-stuck-you-with-the-bill-with-faiz-shakir/
Pity no governments learnt how to control greed years ago … Oh, yeah, Bretton woods, well, never mind.
Maybe there will be a global action now we are nearly finished? G 20?
Meanwhile, being as the last time we had this much CO2 in the atmosphere, the sea levels were 16 feet or metres (depending on source!) higher, where has all the water gone?
Mad Hatter, yes – that was Aramco haemorrhaging money to subsidise its primary shareholder, namely the Saudi government, which needs a much higher break-even price than markets can currently bear.
I guess I’m not at all surprised that Big Oil would co-ordinate with OPEC to try to keep prices as high as possible. As the article says, OPEC does that internally already.
Re the missing water – ice! The Greenland ice-cap, Antarctica, mountain glaciers etc.
Yes, G20 brought up global warming
https://www.reuters.com/world/g20-leaders-turn-focus-climate-change-rio-summits-last-day-2024-11-19/
They must be getting sweaty about taxing billionaires, that was discussed as well, go Lula!
And Go Steelers as well!
Go Steelers! 😤