This month is kindly sponsored by an anonymous donor in memory of Rev. Michael Dowd, founder of postdoom.com.
“Global surface temperatures continue to impress this year at 2nd hottest on record, with the latest data point (from March 14, 2025) once again at 1.70°C above the pre-industrial baseline.
“Something something 120,000 years.” [Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://bsky.app/profile/climatecasino.net/post/3lkio5rxd6s2q
“Yesterday’s global sea-surface temperature of 21.05°C was about 4.62 standard deviations above the 1982-2011 mean …or about 1-in-520,000 just by chance [and second only behind 2024].
“I expect temperatures to reach their seasonal peak in roughly 2 weeks.” [Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://bsky.app/profile/climatecasino.net/post/3lkiwvsjs2c27
“Monday ice update – Arctic sea ice extent is currently the lowest on record (JAXA data).” [Zack Labe]
• about 480,000 km² below the 2010s mean
• about 870,000 km² below the 2000s mean
• about 1,290,000 km² below the 1990s mean
• about 1,810,000 km² below the 1980s mean
https://bsky.app/profile/zacklabe.com/post/3lklgheetzs2k
“Permafrost Melt Posing ‘Significant Risks’ To Arctic Regions’ Communities.
“As the frozen ground warms, roads, houses, and infrastructure are collapsing… Water sources are becoming polluted, while food security is at risk due to changes in hunting and fishing patterns. Additionally, thawing permafrost is releasing long-trapped pollutants and potentially harmful bacteria and viruses…”
“The Barents Sea is undergoing rapid environmental changes as warmer waters push the ice further north, altering the delicate balance of its marine ecosystem.
“Recent research from marine scientists highlights how these shifts are affecting capelin (lodde) and polar cod, two key species in the region, with significant implications for the wider food chain.”
https://thefishingdaily.com/latest-news/climate-change-alters-barents-sea-capelin-feeding-patterns/
“Firefighters are tackling a major fire in the Mourne Mountains in Co Down [Northern Ireland; parts of Scotland also under extreme fire warning].
“At least two fire appliances are at the scene in the Altnadua Road area of Castlewellan. The NIFRS has been contacted for comment.”
“The extent of ice cover loss in the Alps, even at high elevation (here 3450 m at Piz Corvatsch, eastern Switzerland!), is difficult to comprehend!
“100% man-made… brought to you by Big Oil and capitalism’s greed!” [Melaine Le Roy]
https://x.com/subfossilguy/status/1901573730809028871
“What’s going on is without any competition the most extreme event in world climatic history.
“Thousands of records locally broken by 10C margins (a world record); 35C [95F] in Turkey, 33.7C in Greece, 33.5 Cyprus, 31 Russia.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1901290867760964032
“March National records destroyed. Virtually 100% of South Balkans, Moldova, East Ukraine, CS West Russia had their March hottest nights in history, many above April and some SPRING RECORDS…
“Earliest 30C in history in Serbia, North Macedonia and Bulgaria.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1900939313468092599
“Cyprus to face severe water crisis.
“Cyprus is bracing for a tough summer as dam levels continue to drop, marking the third consecutive year of drought. The situation has become even more critical after a fire destroyed the Paphos desalination plant.”
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1264376/cyprus-to-face-severe-water-crisis/
“31.7C [89.1F] at 4:00 am local time in Falassarna NOA station in Greece [Crete]. This must be a new European March night highest temperature record!
“EXTRAORDINARY EVENT… Unbelievable 31.7C at NIGHT (4am) in GREECE. This is 6/7C ABOVE JULY AVERAGE.” [replies Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/FiladelfeiaHeat/status/1901131976007950356
“Greece rides a weather ‘rollercoaster’.
“Greece is riding a weather “rollercoaster”, with weekend temperatures spiking to a record high for March, just ahead of a forecast bout of snow and frost, meteorologists said on Sunday.”
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250316-greece-experiences-weather-rollercoaster
“Why won’t it stop raining in Spain?
“…all the data suggests that this March will probably be the wettest on record, and judging by the sheer number of rainy days we’ve had so far this month, it seems almost certain this will be the case even if it’s sunny for the rest of March.”
https://www.thelocal.es/20250317/why-wont-it-stop-raining-in-spain
“Experts: Recent Rainfall Does Not End Crisis, Drought Is Part of Morocco’s History…
“According to official data, dam filling rates have improved from 26% last year to approximately 35% today, alleviating immediate concerns about water scarcity. However, this improvement falls significantly short of the 68% filling rate recorded in 2018, indicating that Morocco’s water crisis is far from resolved.”
“Tunisia on alert as desert locusts cross from Libya…
“Equipment and pesticides have been deployed… Strong winds have already carried locust swarms from Libya into Algeria and Tunisia, triggering concern in the region over the potential for further outbreaks.”
https://libyaobserver.ly/inbrief/tunisia-alert-desert-locusts-cross-libya
“HISTORIC 42.6C [108.7F] at In Guezzam – ALGERIA HOTTEST MARCH DAY IN HISTORY.
This is just two days after a minimum of 28.6 In Guezzam – ALGERIA MARCH HOTTEST NIGHT EVER.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1901704123147575373
“HISTORIC HEAT IN NORTH AFRICA – Yesterday: 44.0 [111.2F] Mango, TOGO. TOGOLESE HOTTEST DAY IN HISTORY TIED.
“Also new monthly record at Fada Ngourma, BURKINA FASO with 44.1C and at Douala, CAMEROON (again!) with 36.8C.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1901582868851421354
“This glacier sits atop an African mountain – and threatens the remote villages who depend on it [Uganda]…
“…with a 5,109-metre highest summit, the Rwenzori mountains are home to one of only three remaining glaciers in Africa. The ice is melting at an increasing rate and by 2030, perhaps even earlier, there won’t be any left.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/environment/2025/03/16/african-glacier-rwenzori-mountain-uganda/
“EXTRAORDINARY HEAT IN THE INDIAN OCEAN; March Records destroyed again:
“MAURITUS 33.5 [92.3F] Plaisance; FRENCH SOUTHERN TERRITORIES 34.8 Tromelin Island; LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS (INDIA) Minimum 28.6 Amini Divi.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1901226877009948715
“Mangla Dam hits dead level, power production halted.
“Pakistan’s water reservoirs have reached critical levels, with the Mangla Dam water level dropping to the “dead level,” leading to the suspension of hydroelectric power production, ARY News reported on Sunday.”
https://arynews.tv/mangla-dam-hits-dead-level-power-production-halted/
“Severe heat waves have begun “unusually early” in the season across Eastern and Western India with temperatures touching 40 degrees in some regions…
“The hot conditions follow what was already the warmest February in India since record-keeping began in 1901.”
https://carboncopy.info/severe-heat-waves-hit-several-states-unusually-early/
“EXCEPTIONAL RECORD HEAT ALL OVER ASIA: HISTORIC IN THAILAND – 42.2C [108F] Tak is National record for the first Half of March.
“43.5C in India, 42.8C Myanmar, 38C Bangladesh. Record heat all over with also record hot nights.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1900889664203943942
“
Indonesia’s cocoa farmers work with businesses to fight the bitter impact of climate change.
“Cocoa farmers across Indonesia are working with businesses and other organizations to protect their crops from the impacts of climate change that have pushed cocoa prices to record levels.”
“Extreme weather leads to flooding, landslides in several regions [Indonesia]…
“Devastating floods triggered by relentless downpours have swept through several regions in recent days, affecting thousands of people and claiming several lives. In North Sumatra, a flash flood struck dozens of homes on Sunday in Parapat village…”
“Northern Queensland [Australia] is in the firing line for rainfall totals exceeding triple digits through to the end of the week just a month after floodwaters subsided.
“The Bureau of Meteorology has forecasted rain extending across the tropical coast, inland to central Queensland and south towards Mackay.”
https://www.indailyqld.com.au/news/just-in/2025/03/18/northern-queensland-faces-renewed-threat
“Doctors on high alert as melioidosis death toll rises to 20 in Queensland.
“The death toll from melioidosis has hit 20 in Queensland following the death of an elderly man in Townsville. The soil-borne disease is associated with heavy rain and flooding.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-18/queensland-melioidosis-death-toll-reaches-20/105065044
“Sydney has sweltered through its hottest March night on record in 149 years, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), with temperatures only dropping to 25.9 [78.6F] degrees Celsius.
“The previous record in 1876 peaked at 25.4C.”
“South Australian producers have lost potentially thousands of tonnes of fruit as a lack of rain drives hungry birds into orchards.
“Apple, cherry and fig producers are among those dealing with unprecedented crop damage in areas gripped by some of the driest conditions on record.”
“Mysterious sea foam on South Australian beaches reportedly leaves more than 100 surfers ill…
“Health authorities have closed Waitpinga and Parsons Beach, about 80km south of Adelaide, and say the foam could be due to a microalgal bloom driven by hot temperatures, still water, and an ongoing marine heatwave.”
“Why We Should Worry When Whales Stop Singing…
“”The whales all exhibited the lowest levels of song when [marine heatwave] conditions were the worst,” but vocalized more when the heat relented, said John Ryan, an biological oceanographer at MBARI… “they are good ecosystem sentinels.”
“ENDLESS SUMMER IN SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE. Relentless heat in South America:
“Tomorrow Chile can reach >37C [98.6F] again in its Central areas with the heat spreading to Patagonia.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1901819403358122456
“Chaos in Las Grutas [Argentina]: flooding and a car in the sea…
“After a day of extreme heat, the weather took an unexpected turn, with torrential rain that turned the streets of San Antonio Oeste , especially on the coast, into veritable rivers. This drastic change was warned by the National Meteorological Service (SMN).”
https://www.borderperiodismo.com/actualidad/caos-en-las-grutas-inundaciones-y-un-auto-en-el-mar/
“Peruvian farmer takes German energy giant RWE to court in landmark climate case.
“A German court on Monday resumes hearing a landmark case brought by a Peruvian farmer who argues that the German energy giant RWE’s emissions have contributed to the melting of Andean glaciers, increasing the flood risk to his home. The case could set a precedent for future climate litigation…”
“RECORD HEAT IN THE CARIBBEANS – Extreme heat continues unabated in Mexico (46C / 114.8F again!), Central America (39C on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala) and Caribbean.
“Historic: Minimum 27.0C in the CAYMAN ISLANDS – HOTTEST MARCH NIGHT IN HISTORY.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1901440344161399082
“Tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms leave at least 40 dead in the US with ‘staggering damage’.
“Missouri was the worst-hit area, where 12 people died. Governor Mike Kehoe said: “The scale of devastation across our state is staggering… “Hundreds of homes, schools, and businesses have been either destroyed or severely damaged.””
“After devastating Oklahoma blazes, more high fire risk in the Plains this week…
“Red flag warnings for imminent or ongoing wildfire threats are in place from the Texas-Mexico border to southern South Dakota, and then eastward to Iowa and Missouri. Portions of the high Plains are also under red flag and high wind warnings.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/03/17/wildfires-oklahoma-texas-plains-forecast/
“Wildfire fallout – insurers set to reassess risk, tighten policies in California…
“At least one expert told Insurance Business affirmed the California homeowner’s market is poised for a dramatic shift, with higher premiums, stricter policies, and fewer coverage options. At the same time, commercial properties will face increased scrutiny…”
“Southern Oregon soaked by record rainfall and widespread flooding after weekend storm.
“The National Weather Service reports parts of Douglas County saw record amounts of rain over a 24-hour period…. “It was a very wet event in a short amount of time, which really pushed the rivers… into moderate and major floods,” said Charles Smith, a meteorologist…”
“Quebec Faces Serious Flooding Following Thaw And Rainfall…
“Quebec is currently grappling with significant flooding as thawing temperatures and heavy rains wreak havoc across the regions. On March 17, 2025, various areas, including Drummondville and Beauceville, have had to implement emergency measures…”
https://evrimagaci.org/tpg/quebec-faces-serious-flooding-following-thaw-and-rainfall-267217
“Stress from flooding so great it may increase risk of dementia, researchers warn…
“People whose properties have flooded have a 65 per cent higher risk of developing the disease in the next 12 months, a study in the journal Nature Communications Medicine has found.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14503467/Stress-flooding-great-increase-risk-dementia.html
“Report forecasts climate change to drive rise in heart disease.
“Researchers have reported a link between cardiovascular issues and hot weather, forecasting that heart disease could double or triple in the next 25 years if current climate trends continue.”
“Is a warming climate putting people at risk of kidney disease?
“As global temperatures rise, chronic kidney disease of unknown origin (CKDu) is increasingly affecting people, especially in regions like Central America and South Asia, where extreme heat is prevalent.”
“Climate Change is Dehydrating People’s Airways, Leading to Poor Lung Health.
“…researchers report that healthy human airways are at higher risk for dehydration and inflammation when exposed to dry air, an occurrence expected to increase due to global warming. Inflammation in human airways is associated with such conditions as asthma, allergic rhinitis and chronic cough.”
“Increasing pointers to climate change indirectly impacting tuberculosis rise.
“A hitherto underestimated and, therefore, understudied, aspect of global warming is its indirect impact on tuberculosis incidence and the potential of a double whammy to some of the poorest sections of society, say scientists.”
“UBS blames Credit Suisse acquisition as it delays climate targets by a decade…
“Banks and other large companies have been reassessing their commitment to climate goals following Donald Trump’s election as US president in November. Several Wall Street lenders, including JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, have quit the world’s largest climate alliance for banks in recent months.”
https://www.ft.com/content/8aa9ec28-aa03-42bb-a2e1-7d06587893ff
“Kemi Badenoch has said it is “impossible” for the UK to meet its net zero target by 2050 – a goal set by a previous Conservative government…
“Badenoch said net zero cannot be achieved by 2050 “without a serious drop in our living standards or by bankrupting us”.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly3pnjyzp4o
“Countries must bolster climate efforts or risk war, COP30 chief executive warns…
““Climate change is an accelerator of inequalities and poverty, and we know that the consequences of inequality and poverty can turn into wars in the future,” Ana Toni said.”
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You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
You know, when I was young. The book that woke me up to this was “Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet” by Mark Lynas. I was in Middle School at the time. The predictions it made chilled me to my bones, in large part because it was so thorough and so dead-on accurate.
It was like being slapped with the ugliest possible reality right out of the gate and being told about it in granular detail.
Everything in that book seems to be coming true. The runaway greenhouse tipping points, the city-crippling droughts, areas of the planet becoming too uninhabitable due to natural disasters, the reemergence of fascist politics, thawing permafrost and runaway methane release… even heat giving tropical farmers kidney disease as they work. Its scarily granular and unrelenting in its pessimism.
Imagine reading something like that as a kid. It was enough to cause an existential crisis and haunt me everywhere I went. Especially now that so much of it is coming true and nobody listened back then.
It’s like getting hit with a bag of hammers.
Yeah, agreed, we’re done.
Enjoy our last stable decade on Earth.
Doom Wizard, some of those anomalies in E/SE Europe and Russia are bananas. Blowing past 2C in ten years seems entirely possible to me, and of course climatic instability is just one of our converging crises.
This may well, as you say, be the last relatively stable decade on earth for those of us lucky enough not to be at the vanguard of collapse.
Kord, my sympathies.
I came of age in the early 90’s and, although there was a general awareness of global warming, it seemed to me such a vague and distant threat that I didn’t pay it much attention. Also, the 1987 Montreal Protocol on ozone-depleting gases had created this comforting illusion of collective human agency that I happily bought into.
The Climatastrophe is really bad, and it is going to get far, far worse, especially for our own bodies – have I got today’s connect-the-links theme right?
If so, thanks to the universe for placing me on the fossil fuel delirium ride up and getting me off at the dizzying descent phase in due time.
Richard Falk warned humanity back in the brief LtG apocalypse window in 1971’s “This Endangered Planet” that if humanity kept “fucking around,” it would “find out” right about now. And boy are we ever. Just ask Lee Zeldin.
Spot on, Martin! The EPA, which Lee Zeldin now heads, has done some great work over the decades. I think its peak accomplishment is preventing the future that Richard Falk warned about, or Mark Lynas in Kords’ comment. If not for Zeldin, we would still have a chance FFS!!!
In all seriousness, most students of our trajectory understand that human societies will hold on with death cold grip to fossil fuels and the (life destroying) benefits it gives, and that our governments around the world will descend to authoritarian rule. Humans above all seek safety and that seems to come in the form of “strong” (note the quotation marks) leaders. Like you, I watch with a heavy heart our current US prez, as with all previous ones, fuck things up, while they serve the ruling class well.
Enjoy your coffee and chocolate, my friends.
“…have I got today’s connect-the-links theme right?” 😂
I did wonder if I was laying that on a bit thick, Martin. I had never heard of Lee Zeldin… He doesn’t sound like my cup of tea:
“EPA administrator announces huge rollback of environmental regulations. Lee Zeldin said he will reconsider a list of core EPA policies, including emissions standards for vehicles and the finding that serves as the basis for addressing climate change.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/epa-rollback-environmental-regulations-zeldin-rcna196112
Hello Pan
Sad story about the whales and their ‘mythical’ communication. First we almost exterminate them in our hunt. And now in a different ‘way’… Just listen. Man is truly a failed species. It makes me sad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9IJZsp4yyc
Thank you, Zip. The suffering we inflict on the natural world can be very painful to witness at times.
A failed species… It is hard to know, without a deep understanding of the Universal Intelligence’s motives, whether we have failed in our purpose or whether indeed there is any purpose in our existence at all.
I sort of think of us as emerging abruptly from the gentle flow of nature’s progress and taking a violent left-turn into a brick wall of our own making – the butt of a cosmic joke perhaps.
Regarding the link above about the tragic 20 deaths from melioidosis: you may think you are safe from a fungal infection if you do not visit Australia during flood season, but soil fungi that make humans sick are nearly everywhere.
Just the US area:
Much of the Western and Southwest US all the way to Texas has Coccidioidomycosis. Histoplasmosis in the United States mainly lives in the central and eastern states. Blastomycosis is in regions like the southeastern and south-central United States, the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys, and the Great Lakes area. There are many more that affect our health.
These fungal infections may be difficult to diagnose because they can present initial symptoms similar to a cold or flu. A lab test is best to isolate the true nature of the infection, and then specialty anti-fungal medications administered over a prolonged period to eliminate the fungus among us.
It would be interesting to test if nanoplastics are inhibiting these fungi or facilitating their spread into new areas. Perhaps the plastic chemicals will help mutate new forms of fungi…won’t that be fun!
Of course, as we descend into civilizational collapse the availability of precise medical testing & precise treatments will progressively vanish. Just another way Mother Nature will reduce our numbers back to carrying capacity.
Bob Shaw Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?
Bob, the tepid, marine climate here in the Hebrides is heaven for mould and fungus, unfortunately.
I found an article suggesting that nanoplastics initially inhibit growth in (at least some species of) soil fungi – but then the fungi start cleaning up the particles like a vacuum-cleaner and grow back with renewed vigour. Remarkable.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/vacuum-cleaner-effect-in-fungi-can-keep-nanoplastics-at-bay-379696
Thanks Pan, now let us hope scientists can find a magic mushroom that we can ingest to vacuum-up the nanoplastics from inside our bodies. Nope, not gonna happen.
Thanks for adding the climate changes effects on health articles. Seems to be a less talked about issue.
Stress is terrible for your body. Climate change reeking havoc on our lives is going to have an impact.
You are welcome, Nat. I was reminded, as I posted them, of a rather good Paul Beckwith video I watched a while back:
“Billions of People at Risk from Wet Bulb Temperature’s Rendering Major Cities Uninhabitable.
“Although the theoretical limit of the human body to tolerate heat and humidity is a wet bulb temperature of 35 C (with 100% humidity), practical empirical studies show that the limit for healthy, young, individuals is more like 30.6 C (with 100% humidity). Thus, our human body is nowhere near as resilient to heat and humidity as we previously thought.
“Also, very bad is the fact that the elderly, the very young, people on medications like antidepressants, the obese, those with medical conditions, and people exercising outside, and exposed to sunlight, are much less resilient than those healthy, young individuals in the study, so the heat and humidity combination for them to collapse is even lower than 30.6 C with 100% humidity.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUT4hN9e5Ds&t=1502s
To paraphrase Upton Sinclair –
It’s difficult to get a man to understand or even mention overpopulation if it affects his set of living arrangements or value system or he can’t face the responsibility of his part in habitat destruction.
Something something overpopulation.
Something something habitat destruction.
Something something Near Term Human Extinction.
The laughter is in the stupidity. 😉