This month is kindly sponsored by an anonymous donor in memory of Rev. Michael Dowd, founder of postdoom.com
“35.8°C [96.4F] in Hanimaadhoo, Maldives, new all-time record for the country!
“Previous February national record: 34.8°C in Hanimaadhoo in 2024. Previous all-time national record: 35.1°C in Hanimaadhoo in March and April 2024.”
https://x.com/ThierryGooseBC/status/1895290680920154547
“February this year was warmest [for India] since record keeping commenced in 1901: IMD.
“Back-to-back warmer months and the prediction of above-normal temperature in March may negatively impact winter-sown crops such as wheat and rapeseed during their maturing phase.”
“At 215.4 mm [8.5 inches], Udhampur in Jammu receives 2 months’ rainfall in 24 hours.
“Record rainfall, snow reported in parts of Jammu, Punjab, upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Ladakh… Udhampur in Jammu on Friday recorded more rainfall within a day than is usually reported during an entire winter season, setting a new record for February.”
“Trails of destruction after heavy snow, rain in Himachal Pradesh.
“Many vehicles were swept away or trapped in sludge following flash floods triggered by incessant torrential rain in lower areas of the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. The rain has also triggered landslides in several parts.”
“EAST ASIA Heat wave is intensifying: Temperatures have reached as much as +10C [50F] at 2000m asl in MONGOLIA Highlands. Monthly record yesterday at Baruun Urt with +7.3C.
“The heat will intensify South: We might see up to 37C+ in China and >40C in Thailand…”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1895460806718075075
“On February 28, 2025, urgent efforts were underway to rescue approximately 200 fishermen stranded on a drifting ice floe near Sakhalin Island [Russian Far East; ice on Sea of Okhotsk at all time lows].
“The fishermen were reportedly at risk after the ice broke away from the shore, separating them by roughly 700 meters from the coastal safety of the village of Lesnoe.”
https://evrimagaci.org/tpg/emergency-rescue-operation-for-fishermen-on-sakhalin-island-238162
“Japan wildfire burns largest area in over 30 years as blaze rages on.
“The blaze has spread across at least 1,200 hectares in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, over the past three days, according to local authorities. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government has stepped up efforts to limit the damage.”
“Forest fires have been reported in the Japanese prefectures of Nagano and Yamanashi in addition to the fires in the city of Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan.
“A mountain forest fire broke out in the city of Ueda, Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, at around noon on Friday.”
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20250228_21/
“EXTRAORDINARY HEATWAVE IN THAILAND.
“Records destroyed since the 1st to the last day of the month. Today records: 40.0C [104F] Thoen and 38.7C Takfa. 11 stations >38C. The famous cold season.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1895429441087775218
“Australia’s heat spell ongoing; spring and summer warmest on record.
“Australia’s recent spell of exceptionally warm seasons has continued with a national mean temperature this spring and summer exceeding pre-industrial levels by more than 2 degrees Celsius, comfortably the warmest on record.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-28/nsw-end-of-summer-weather-spring-warmest/104990526
“AUSTRALIA HEAT WAVE. Historic heat in 5 States today and it’s just the beginning:
“New March records: 46.1 [115F] Oodnadatta, 44.5 Alice Springs, 45.3 Yulara [HOTTEST MARCH DAY EVER RECORDED IN NORTHERN TERRITORY], 42.6 Ernabella, 42.4 Leigh Creek. Highest Minimums: 31.4 Karratha, 30.0 Legendre Island, 29.8 Leigh Creek, 30.0 Tibooburra, 30.0 Varanus Island.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1895779576737120360
“EXTRAORDINARY HEAT ALL OVER OCEANIA – all time records for any month: 34.1 [93.4F] Touho NEW CALEDONIA; 31.8 Rikitea FRENCH POLYNESIA.
“National records of February Highest Mins: MARSHALL ISLANDS 27.8 Majuro; MICRONESIA 28.3 Chuuk,27.8 Pohnpei; PALAU 26.7 Koror; NORTHERN MARIANAS 26.1 Saipan.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1895151802414440821
“Simultaneously a (disappearing) La Niña in the middle of the Pacific (ENSO 3.4) and an El Niño along the South American coast.
“Not something we see very often.”
https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/1895484072589471870
“One person injured, flooding and structural collapses were the effects of the rains in Quito. Heavy rainfall surprised Quito residents in recent hours [Ecuador].
“…in just 24 hours, the amount of rainfall accumulated at these stations is equivalent to a considerable percentage of their monthly precipitation, reflecting the intensity of the event.”
https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/ecuador/quito-herido-lluvias-efectos-nota/
“On February 28, 2025, Caucaia [Brazil] experienced a staggering 149 mm of rainfall, marking the third-highest precipitation recorded in its history.
“This deluge is part of a larger trend affecting the region, with Fortaleza and other municipalities also reporting significant rainfall.”
https://news.faharas.net/269910/caucaia-tem-149-mm-de/
“From rare snowfall to record heat: Here’s a look at Houston’s weird winter in three charts.
“From a memorable dose of snow in January to extreme temperature fluctuations, this winter is likely to be remembered by many as the winter that was, to put it bluntly, weird. Here’s a recap of Houston’s winter in three charts:”
“Record dry winter continues for some in New Mexico.
“Some areas, including Albuquerque, have had their driest winter on record dating from December to now.”
https://www.koat.com/article/new-mexico-record-dry-winter-albuquerque-gallup/63964293
“Unusual winter heat spike breaks L.A. temperature records.
“Downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach both hit a toasty 88 degrees Thursday, breaking the respective 86- and 84-degree records set in 2020… [86F at Monterey and 81F at Half Moon Bay, right on the ocean, their hottest February day in climatic history, per Extreme Temps].
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-02-27/february-record-high-temperatures-l-a-county
“U.S. Is Bracing for More Dangerous Hailstorms.
“Hailstorms in the United States are becoming more frequent and severe due to changing climate patterns, posing significant risks to homes, vehicles, and personal safety. As these destructive storms increase, experts warn that preparation is more critical than ever.”
“NOAA layoffs spark outrage as Trump administration continues to shrink federal workforce.
“”Every day, NOAA employees forecast the weather, track severe storms, and issue critical guidance that keeps Americans safe,” said Congressman Gabe Amo, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Environment.”
“NOAA owns, operates, or coordinates:
“18 weather satellites, 92 twice-daily weather balloon launch sites, 159 weather radar systems, 9,000 weather monitoring stations, Global & regional weather forecast models. NOAA’s data and modeling underpins everything weather-related in the USA.” [Dr Robert Rohde]
https://x.com/RARohde/status/1895415247487525174
“Climate scientists sound alarm as US experts miss key UN meetings.
“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s leading climate science body, has been gathering this week in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou to outline and budget for the seventh iteration of its landmark report… The absence of US federal scientists has cast a shadow on the meeting…”
https://www.ft.com/content/ebb50462-7d5d-401a-9a50-3a68368cf623
“You may read that a new study says the AMOC will not collapse. Not true. The wind-driven currents will remain but the thermohaline currents may collapse in 20~30 years.
“It doesn’t contradict what other “collapse” studies say & the authors agree.”
https://x.com/danmiller999/status/1895021184024224262
“Ice at record low: how close is a summer-ice-free Arctic? [Graph from today, courtesy of Zack Labe, now ex of NOAA]
“…recent studies suggest this milestone could arrive [soon] – potentially as early as 2027. In February 2025, Arctic sea ice was nearly 0.2 million square kilometers below any previously recorded extent for the season.”
“The ‘doomsday’ seed vault in Svalbard just added thousands of climate-hardy crops.
“This deposit is “about more than storing seeds,” said Stefan Schmitz, executive director of Crop Trust, the nonprofit organization that helps manage the vault alongside the Norwegian government and the Nordic Genetic Resource Center. “It’s about defusing a ticking time bomb that threatens our global food system…””
“Rain in the northernmost city on Earth [Longyearbyen, Svalbard]. This month temperatures have been almost always above normal.
“It is raining at 78N and the temperature is +3C. The Arctic is becoming totally unrecognisable. And in the meantime BP and Equinor are doubling down on fossil fuels.”
https://x.com/HeidiSevestre/status/1895027199121486036
“Third Arctic oil discovery in a row…
“The Norwegian company, Vår Energy, believes the recoverable resources encountered in the well could be up to 43 million barrels of oil equivalent. The discovery is the third in a row made in the Goliat ridge in the Barents Sea.”
https://www.thebarentsobserver.com/climate-crisis/third-arctic-oil-discovery-in-a-row/425562
“‘The climate crisis is the biggest security threat of them all’: Anneliese Dodds quits government over aid budget cuts [UK].
“International development minister warns it will be ‘impossible’ to retain funding in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine… “[meanwhile] the climate crisis is the biggest security threat of them all.””
“‘Ultimate bringers of life’: How one Cornwall farmer is using beavers to stop flooding…
“The rodents, which were hunted to extinction in England hundreds of years ago for their fur and oil, were once a common feature of our rivers. They may soon be again, after the government announced on Friday it would approve the first wild beaver releases in England for hundreds of years.”
“Distressing snow conditions across the entire Alps! At (what should be) the peak of the winter season! 😱
“91 cm at Rudolfshütte, 2317 m (Salzburg, AT); 17 cm at Ristolas, 1665 m (Queyras, FR); 1 cm at Sella Nevea, 1124 (Julian Alps, IT).”
https://x.com/subfossilguy/status/1895473386375287041
“Water Shortages Threaten Food and Social Security in North Africa.
“Politicians and agricultural experts have warned that climate disruptions across several North African countries— including Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria—coupled with rising temperatures each year, are directly impacting water resources… Morocco is enduring its seventh consecutive year of severe drought.”
“Drought Pits Human Against Animals in Namibian Tussle for Food.
“Conflict between humans and wild animals in Namibia is escalating as a severe drought intensifies competition for food and water… Attacks by elephants, lions, and crocodiles have increased, and led to a rise in human fatalities, widespread crop destruction and livestock losses…”
“KwaZulu-Natal Floods [South Africa] Displace Families And Claim Lives.
“Severe flooding has once again ravaged KwaZulu-Natal, following heavy rains this week, and the outcomes have been devastating. At least 11 people have been reported dead, with numbers continuing to rise as authorities assess the damage across the region.”
https://evrimagaci.org/tpg/kwazulunatal-floods-displace-families-and-claim-lives-238248
“Deadly cyclone Garance kills at least four on France’s Reunion Island…
“The deadly storm hit the island early Friday triggering flash floods, mudslides and electrical storms and leaving hundreds of thousands of people without access to water or electricity.”
“95% fish, 30% buffalos in Iraq’s marshes are lost: NGO…
““Nearly 30 percent of our buffalos in the wetlands are lost, and 95 percent of the fish in those areas have disappeared. Sometimes, buffalo shepherds are forced to migrate five times a year within their own wetlands,” Jassim al-Asadi, the head of Nature Iraq, said at Erbil Forum 2025.”
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/280220253
“Pakistan’s Changing Rainfall Patterns: Climate Change Sparks Drought Concerns.
“Pakistan is experiencing reduced winter rainfall due to climate change, impacting agriculture and water resources. Experts warn of drought risks, rising temperatures, and food insecurity, especially in 2025.”
“How Climate Change Puts the Safety of Drinking Water at Risk…
“Recent extreme flooding events in Pakistan, Niger, and Chad flooded sewers and latrines. Pathogens were washed into drinking water, which resulted in outbreaks of diarrhea and cholera.”
https://e360.yale.edu/features/climate-change-drinking-water
“Since 1900, we’ve lost 75% of our global food crop varieties—the most rapid extinction of agricultural genetics in human history.
“Meanwhile, the US lost 93% of vegetable varieties between 1903-1983. This is one the greatest threats to agriculture and is rarely talked about.”
https://x.com/samdknowlton/status/1895482199593615375
“Surge in marine heatwaves costs lives and billions in storm damage – study.
“The sustained spike in ocean temperatures cost lives and caused billions of dollars in storm damage, increased whale and dolphin stranding risks, harmed commercial fishing and sparked a global coral bleaching…”
“Microplastics Found in Bird Lungs Highlight Widespread Air Pollution…
“Researchers found an average of 221 plastic particles per bird species… Plastics from tires and insulation were the most prevalent… Findings highlight concerns about inhaled microplastics in both wildlife and humans.”
“The global mean surface temperature for Feb. 25, 2025 was more than 1.7°C above the 1850-1900 IPCC pre-industrial average. The day was hotter globally than every Feb. 25th on record… with the exception of Feb. 25, 2016 [a very strong El Nino in effect at that time].
“And this is happening in a La Nina year.” [Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://bsky.app/profile/climatecasino.net/post/3lj664dtzu22h
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You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back on Monday with an “Economic” thread.
It shows how sparse conventional oil discoveries now are that “possibly 43 million oil equivalent” makes headlines. That will translate to around 15 million barrels of actual oil. Nowhere near enough (by at least a factor of at least 10) to support a stand alone development. Depending on the distance it may be enough for a tie back to Golliat (itself an underperforming project so far). In the Arctic small pockets like this have to have the gas re-injected as there is no gas collection infrastructure, which makes development costs more marginal.
And since the world uses about a hundred million per day, it’s about 6 hours worth
George, thank you for those insights. Even Norway, consuming about 220,000 barrels per day, would only get a little over two-month’s worth from those finds. It looks like our own paltry, remaining fields may be tied up in legal red tape now:
“Thirteen more oil and gas licences could be cancelled as ministers decide new guidance for fossil fuel extraction after a landmark court case, the Guardian has learned.
“The admission that many more licences may ultimately be unlawful comes on the back of cabinet tensions over the future of two major oil and gas fields – Rosebank and Jackdaw – whose licences were last month found to have been unlawfully granted.”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/13/thirteen-more-oil-and-gas-licences-could-be-cancelled-after-rosebank-court-ruling
I’m not sure where your figures come from but last year Norway produced over 1,800,000 barrels per day so 15 million would be about 8 days. If it was developed as a single well tie-back it would probably be online for less than 5 years. You may be thinking in cubic metres, which is how Norway reports and would be 292,000 per day. Another couple of Norway observations – the two recent high impact (i.e. targeting large potential reservoirs) wells in the Barents Sea have shown non-commercial gas and a very tiny amount of oil respectively. These are expensive to drill and their energy use goes on the negative side of EROI calculations for the basin. Second 2024 reserve reports from the Norwegian government agency showed very few additions last year but production was maintained so the reserve to production ratio dropped to 6 to 7 – i.e once decline sets in it will quickly reach 15 to 20%
My mistake you were talking consumption – I’m surprised it’s that high there still.
When I lived in Norway, I once randomly started reading a master’s thesis on college-aged Norwegians’ attitudes to energy conservation. Nearly all said that, since they live in such a very cold place, they deserve to overheat their homes. If they have to wear an extra sweater outdoors, it should be t-shirts whilst inside. Spoiled brats, with a superiority complex. I hated it there.
Just Me, I have never been to Scandinavia, apart from an ill-fated ferry journey from Harwich to Esbjerg in Denmark in the 80’s, when I was a kid. I came down with a raging temperature on the journey over and the boat was teeming with loud, drunken idiots.
The plan had been to visit the original Legoland (then the only one in existence) but when we arrived… it had closed for the winter. Naturally, I was thrilled. Back then, there wasn’t much in the way of fencing or security, so we snuck in and, in the pissing rain, wandered around forlornly looking at all the rides we could have gone on.
The UK needs Norway not to decide to conserve its energy at our expense!
“Britain depends on Norway to avoid blackouts. Some Norwegians want to cut us off. Tensions in the Nordics are rising as residents begrudge the cost of keeping Europe’s lights on.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/02/23/britain-depends-norway-energy-some-want-to-cut-us-off/
With atmospheric temperatures at 1.7 above preindustrial and sea surface temperatures close to last year’s maximum this is another indication that we are heading for at least 0.2 above 2023, and that the warming may be accelerating. Yet climate scientists (those that aren’t gagged anyway) still say either 1.5 is still achievable or we should wait and see after the La Nina plays out. If you take a weighted average of 2m temperature and sea surface temperature (maybe 60:40) you get a much straighter anomaly trend – enough to say that the rate of climate change overcomes noise and quasi-periodic cycles like El Nino and it looks almost monotonically increasing (i.e. every point gives a new daily record). I think the next El Nino could bring combined fatalities – either directly from heat, floods and fires or knock-on consequences of malnutrition, pollution, disease and conflict – in the millions – and ir will just get worse from there.
I wonder if these references to the historic El Niño and La Niña are still applicable. Are these trends still clearly demarcated or are the lines blurring and the baseline perhaps permanently altered? Forgive my ignorance please.
Ebony Peat, those are valid speculations, and the answers are not yet clear. The recent El Niño occurred in the context of unprecedented marine heatwaves elsewhere on the planet, such that Jim Hansen et al are now making their case that El Niño/La Niña is no longer the dominant driver of climate fluctuations.
The extreme El Niño of 2015/16 was centred much further to the West than normal. The recent triple-dip La Niña of 2020 to 2023 was unique in that it did not follow on from a a strong El Niño… so there are lots of uncertainties keeping the scientists on their toes.
Are we set up for a famine of epic biblical proportions. The loss of 93 percent of US vegetable varieties is crazy. I mentioned the book “Shattering” already here about this very topic. These folks varieties once gone won’t reappear, unless in an abandoned fruit orchard. Still with climate change accelerating doubt it really matters and only a vindication of modern humans short sighted profit driven mentality.
Won’t be surprised if researchers find microplastics in vegetable membrane
It’s only a matter of time.
At least we are being entertained, if one wishes, In our political unreality circus regarding psychological crisis of you don’t hold the cards.
The BAU show must go on,until it doesn’t. The curtain call 🤙 will be surprisingly in my lifetime…As Iggy Pop said in an interview he was not surprised to still be alive at 70 because we all expect to live forever. His psychiatrist attributed to his talent for brinkmanship….suppose that runs through us all…
On the other hand, as a longtime doomer, I truly did not expect to live until 60 and now I REALLY don’t expect to live until 70 (four years off). 🤪😳
PS big thanks to the anonymous donor supporting this month’s posts. Bless the memory of Michael Dowd.
“Bless the memory of Michael Dowd.”
Cassandra, amen to that. I actually don’t think the site would be viable without the publicity that Michael gave it when he was alive and the help his supporters have offered posthumously. ♥
“As Iggy Pop said in an interview he was not surprised to still be alive at 70.”
Well, he did have a lust for life, Vince. 😆
Speed running the collapse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-6oYvlxAco
Fuck the habitat. I just want more & I will not stand for giving up anything because enough is never enough & I always deserve more. 😉
All AGW & NTHE are only good for dragging their asses. The longer they take, the longer the suffering of this species, takes to end.
Mercy, Mercy , me TR …Marvin Sung this over a half a century ago so there are no excuses for this behaviour…but Im certain we’ll fine more than enough, bro.
Thank you for your contributions