This month is kindly sponsored by an anonymous donor in memory of Rev. Michael Dowd, founder of postdoom.com.
“The world’s climate is in uncharted territory, warns major report.
“Unprecedented levels of ocean heat, ice melt and sea level rise are among the many key measures of climate change setting alarming records in recent years, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) State of the Global Climate report for 2024.”
“Flooding in the Sahara, Amazon tributaries drying and warming tipping over 1.5°C – 2024 broke all the wrong records…
“Attribution studies found a link between climate change and disasters such as Hurricane Helene, which left a trail of destruction in the southeastern United States, and the unprecedented flooding in Africa’s arid Sahel region.”
“Earth’s 10 Hottest Years Have Been the Last 10…
““That’s never happened before,” said Chris Hewitt, the director of the W.M.O.’s climate services division. It marks the first time since record keeping began that all of the 10 hottest years have fallen within the most recent decade.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/18/climate/global-temperatures-wmo-report.html
“The rate of global warming has more than doubled… and the rate of Atmospheric Heat Content increase has quadrupled! This should be your main takeaway from the new WMO report.” [Leon Simons]
“”The rate of ocean warming [= 90% of global warming] over the past two decades, 2005–2024, is more than twice that observed over the period 1960–2005.”” [WMO]
https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/1902420238458646577
“Preliminary data suggests that the global average increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration in 2024 will be a record.
“Not just a little record, but 25% higher than the previous record. (This is the global average, as opposed to Moana Loa).”
https://bsky.app/profile/glenpeters.bsky.social/post/3lkprkadubc2m
“New Study Reinforces Worries About Pulses of Rapid Sea Level Rise.
“An analysis of peat layers at the bottom of the North Sea shows how fast sea level rose during the end of the last ice age, when Earth was warming at a similar rate as today… Salt water is also infiltrating fresh water supplies.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/19032025/rapid-sea-level-rise-during-last-ice-age/
“Saltwater contamination in freshwater systems is on the rise…
“As seawater creeps further into coastlines, salt threatens to pollute the freshwater reserves that people depend on. But this brine isn’t just coming from the ocean: New research shows freshwater ecosystems are facing widespread dual threats of salt contamination from the sea and land, made worse by climate change.”
“We are on track for another record ice loss year in the Alps, especially in the eastern Alps, where Silvretta provisonnal mass balance is 2.6 SD below 2010-2020 average!
“Data Matthias Huss.” [Melaine Le Roy]
https://x.com/subfossilguy/status/1902079469969363359
“Warm Temperatures Bring Ice Melt and Flooding to Russia’s Chelyabinsk Region.
“Unseasonably warm weather triggered ice breakups and flooding in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, located in the Ural Mountains… Images and videos showed rescue crews using inflatable boats to transport people and animals through flooded streets.”
“So far in this monster heatwave, which is sweeping through 3 continents, 7 countries had their earliest 30C [86F] in history: Serbia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan & Kazakhstan.
“And 10 had their March hottest night nationally!”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1902395144617197580
“UNBELIEVABLE – insane mind blowing MINIMUM 19.3C [66.7F] in the highlands of ARMENIA at Idjevan; ARMENIA HOTTEST NIGHT IN HISTORY IN MARCH + APRIL and for Idjevan for ALL SPRING.
“Never the world has seen an insanity like this.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1902016572488864202
“Paphos banana plantations faces existential threat amid water crisis, growers warn [Cyprus]…
“The drought of recent years had already placed pressure on farmers to continue their operations, but the unexpected disruption at Mavrokolympos reservoir now risks becoming their death knell, growers emphasised.”
https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/local/cyprus-banana-industry-water-crisis-existential-threat/
“Deadly flash floods hit south of Spain with entire towns submerged and cars swept off motorways as rescue operation gets underway…
“The country is bracing for the arrival of another storm, dubbed Martinho, on Thursday – the fourth to sweep across the country in less than two weeks.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14515421/flash-floods-hit-south-Spain-towns-submerged.html
“Heavy rain opens floodgates in Algarve dams.
“The Odeleite Dam, in Castro Marim, in the Algarve, was the target of a temporary reservoir spillway in order to safely discharge excess flows this morning… the Government announced, in Faro, that restrictions on water consumption in the Algarve will be eased…”
https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2025-03-18/heavy-rain-opens-floodgates-in-algarve-dams/96284
“Double record in the Sahara town of Tamanrasset, ALGERIA. 33.9C [93F] Hottest March day in history and Tmin 21.6C Hottest March night.
“Further South, terrible persistent heat in Niger and Mali with >44C every day and it will get worse.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1902417316068946159
“SOUTH AFRICA FIERCE HEAT WAVE – one after another, heat waves keep sweeping the West of the country with hot berg winds and temperatures >40C [104F].
“In the Cape Town center station of Table Bay yesterday the temperature reached 42.4C ;if confirmed it would tie its hottest day in March.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1902542788689875115
“Climate change is fuelling a mental health crisis in one of the world’s most vulnerable regions…
“”Adolescents in Androy, southern Madagascar, speak of famine, fear, and futures stolen by drought and sandstorms,” says co-author Dr Nambinina Rasolomalala from the Catholic University of Madagascar.”
“Sixteen people died in Mozambique and one in Madagascar after Cyclone Jude pivoted through the region last week, according to the latest European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) report.
“More than 130 people were injured while four were recorded missing as of March 18.”
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/17-dead-as-cyclone-jude-wreaks-havoc-in-east-africa/
“‘It was beautiful’: Mount Kenya’s glaciers melting away…
“Charles Kibaki Muchiri traced the water trickling across the surface of the Lewis Glacier with his fingers, illustrating how quickly climate change is melting the huge ice blocks off of Africa’s second-highest mountain.”
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2984021/it-was-beautiful-mount-kenyas-glaciers-melting-away
“Farmers battle monkey invasion as climate crisis worsens [Kenya].
“In Homa Bay’s Ngoya Village, farmers arm themselves each morning with slingshots, catapults, and vigilant dogs. Their preparations suggest an impending battle—and in many ways, it is.”
https://nation.africa/kenya/health/farmers-battle-monkey-invasion-as-climate-crisis-worsens-4969474
“Kenyans grapple with elephants destroying crops…
“Conservation groups say the growing human population, combined with drought and resource scarcity linked to climate change, are increasingly causing people and elephants to compete for things like space, food and water.”
https://abcnews.go.com/International/kenyans-grapple-elephants-destroying-crops/story?id=118690039
“The Jordan Valley Authority declares a state of emergency and warns of flash floods…
“All necessary measures have been taken by activating the emergency plan in all its departments in the northern, central and southern Jordan Valley, in addition to the Control Directorate and all its affiliated sites.”
“Relentless record heat in INDIA:
“More scorching hot nights and minimums locally >28C [82.4F]. New March records of highest minimums: 28.2 Palakkad; 26.6 Wardha.”
https://bsky.app/profile/extremetemps.bsky.social/post/3lkrtlvsxqs2c
“Heatwave Hits Karnataka’s Fishing Industry: Boats Docked, Prices Soar.
“The intense heat along the Karnataka coast has severely impacted the fishing industry, with nearly 80% of fishing boats remaining idle on the shore… The heatwave has also affected deep-sea trawlers, with ice blocks now melting within eight days instead of the usual 12, forcing early returns to port.”
“Ganderbal’s ‘Contaminated Springs’, After Badhal Tragedy, Trigger Fears Amidst Looming Water Crisis [Jammu and Kashmir, India]…
“Of the 40 natural springs tested, 37 of them were found to be contaminated with dangerous bacteria… When asked about the reasons of contamination, Beigh contends that is mainly due to an unprecedented dry spell and climate change.”
https://kashmirtimes.com/news/contaminated-springs-after-badhal-tragedy
“It’s not just in Europe that winter has gone! This is Annapurna, Nepal (4130 m) yesterday!
“After a record dry winter, first sherpa teams discovered a virtually snow free mountain… while it is usually considered as a dangerous 8000er because of avalanches!”
https://x.com/subfossilguy/status/1902031760637976799
“Japan’s record snow in February attributed to global warming…
“Global warming contributed to record snowfall in northern and eastern Japan in February, increasing the amount of snow by up to 10%… The country experienced an unusually harsh winter, with heavy precipitation in wide areas this year. Last year, it had its hottest year on record.”
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/19/japan/science-health/cold-snaps-february/
“Singapore rolls out cooling measures as heatwave response plan unveiled.
“Singaporeans will have access to air-conditioned cooling spaces in community centres, residents’ committees, and selected indoor sports halls during extreme heat conditions, as part of a national heatwave response plan.”
“Climate crisis hampers agriculture in Papua New Guinea…
“While villagers in Western Province have started replanting and crops are slowing returning, the situation is still dire for the community.”
https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/programs/pacificbeat/pngagclimate/105069834
“A northeastern Queensland town [Townsville] has recorded its heaviest rainfall this century, and wettest wet season in recorded history, as schools and roads were closed while shopping centre carparks saw flash flooding…
“Receiving a total of 301.4mm [12 inches] of rain on Wednesday morning, the northeastern Queensland town was drenched and partly underwater.”
“ALMOST 40 DEGREES IN CENTRAL CHILE – this month of March has been exceptional in South America smashing thousands of records.
“After the record heat east of the Andes, the heat has lingered in the Chilean highlands. Today 39.3C [102.7F] at Huechun, north of Santiago.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1902173952572846513
“Andean glaciers have shrunk more than ever before in the entire Holocene…
“These findings are likely to resonate beyond the scientific community, as they strongly support the lawsuit filed by a Peruvian farmer against the energy company RWE, which has returned to court this week.”
“More record heat all over the tropics.
“Tonight in GUYANA, the southern Amazon village of Lethem, near the Brazilian border, had a minimum temperature of 25.3C [77.5F], the highest ever recorded in March.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1902361271158132949
“Rains wreak havoc in La Guaira and revive fear 25 years after the landslide [Venezuela]…
“…trees fell, and several vehicles were swept away by the floodwaters… a situation that revived fear and set off alarm bells among the population that suffered a massive landslide in December 1999 that caused more than 2,000 deaths…”
“Toxic Algae Bloom Threatens Marine Life in Los Angeles County.
“Wildlife officials have issued a warning about a toxic algae bloom affecting marine mammals along the beaches of Los Angeles County… The alert follows months of increased strandings of sea lions, dolphins, and other marine mammals, which are suffering from domoic acid poisoning.”
“A huge wildfire shut down the main artery into the Florida Keys on Tuesday.
“Traffic was snarled for hours as smoke and flames in the Miami-Dade area got closer to the well-known 18-Mile Stretch of U.S. Highway 1.”
https://weather.com/news/weather/video/miami-dade-wildfire-shuts-down-18-mile-stretch-florida-keys
“A powerful dust storm swept through central New Mexico on Tuesday, causing multiple crashes and poor visibility, according to local media reports.
“Footage captured by Alex Matthews shows a vehicle pileup along Interstate 40.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cgq9pqg1w99o
“Blizzard conditions hit the Midwest while wildfires and tornadoes threaten Central US.
“Another storm system is affecting millions of people in the middle of the U.S. Parts of the Midwest and Great Plains faced blizzard conditions Wednesday and a broad swath of neighboring states are at risk of high winds and wildfires.”
“Trump Signs New Law To Block US Methane Fee…
“Methane, the main component of natural gas, was targeted by the IRA because it is considered a planet-warming gas about 28 times more potent than CO2. During the oil and gas drilling process, companies often burn off or vent some of the gas rather than capturing it for sale.”
https://jpt.spe.org/trump-order-seeks-to-block-methane-fee
“Only 15 countries have met the latest Paris agreement deadline. Is any nation serious about tackling climate change?
“The failure of most nations to submit new emission plans suggests that the era of cooperation on climate change is over.”
“An early-warning system for climate ‘tipping points’ is an awful idea…
“Even if we identify the timing of a tipping point and have better pinned down the consequences, what then? An EWS is only one element of an emergency management plan that must also encompass mitigation (if feasible) and response.”
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You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
Going forward there will be increasing intersection of the lawlessness exemplified in some stories yesterday with extreme climate events. As countries’ economies contract, maybe gradually but more likely in a series of steps down, and more resources are taken to providing the basic energy needs of society there will be less available for recovery and repair following weather related damage. The richer societies are built on, and others aspire to be richer based on the expectation of, having an EROI of 30 to 50, and are now trying to maintain the same original structures and institutions as fossil fuels’ returns fall to 12 and real numbers for renewables are lower still.
With exponential or, allowing for feedbacks maybe super-exponential, rise in damage from climate extremes and reduced abilities to respond, nations and localised authorities will increasingly have to practice triage and will abdicate protection and care in those areas with the worse loss of infrastructure or highest impact from refugees (inevitably the most socially deprived). Warlords and gangs will take over.
I think social media, smart phones, reality TV, helicopter parenting etc. have made us, especially those born since 1995, and our cultures increasingly fragile, tribal and fractures. That and our growing groupthink and anxiety makes the coming disasters and challenges less likely to be optimally addressed. It’s going to be a bumpy downhill ride.
Yes, agreed.
Our last decade of relative stability on our home planet.
By 2040 we can kiss everything goodbye.
We’re in runaway and it’s blatantly obvious.
A few years ago I would have said “we”, i.e. the west, had about until the mid 40s, now I’m not sure we have even a decade, and a lot of poorer countries have already descended into chaos as failed states with many more heading to at least economic collapse even if the governments can keep functioning in some form for a few years (depending on where the ball drops in the climate roulette wheel of course).
Visiting this blog regularly, somewhere in 2023 I got the feeling of “acceleration”. With BOE possible later in 2025 (per Arctic news blog) I feel that all bets are off and we might have just a few short and hot years ahead of us…
Something shifted in 2023 for sure, Goran. And now we’ve seen enough sustained warming (irrespective of ENSO state) to know that the sudden acceleration back then was not a blip. Here’s a link to that Arctic News Blogspot article you mention:
“A Blue Ocean Event (BOE) occurs when the size of the sea ice falls to 1 million km² or less, which could occur in Summer 2025 in the Northern Hemisphere for Arctic sea ice. If the difference between 2012 and 2025 continues to be as large as it is now, there will be a Blue Ocean Event in September 2025.”
https://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2025/03/arctic-blue-ocean-event-2025.html
Does anyone else think, due to all this climate change, that people will be moving towards the poles in search of cooler climes?
The rich to the antarctic, and everyone else to the arctic?
None of your biswacks, welcome to the site.
An amped up hydrological cycle, changing ocean currents and failing jet streams, amidst the overall warming, are going to generate such extreme weather events and mean so much climatic unpredictability that growing food anywhere is going to be a problem. Melting permafrost in the Arctic is going to devastate infrastructure and release heavy metals, and quite possibly dangerous bacteria and viruses, into the environment.
The Antarctic might be a better bet… The peninsular could soon resemble the southernmost parts of South America, so that crops and livestock become possible. I’m sure there’s something I’m overlooking but brain is tired.
George and Doom Wizard, thank you for your thoughts.
It is flying somewhat under the radar these days with so much else to report on but the financial system remains, for me, our most glaring Achilles’ heel. I highly doubt that it is a can we can keep kicking for another decade, even as stressors on it intensify.
So many items Pan has listed here that never get the slightest bit of coverage (well, since he uses published data, I guess they do get exactly that, the slightest coverage). But no worries. Each of the richest countries in the world is investing hundreds of billions in the development, manufacture, deployment, and sales of ever more sophisticated weaponry, because climate change just isn’t wreaking enough havoc fast enough (and the profit margins are to die for… as many corpses would attest to… except they can’t …‘cause they’re dead).
100 years ago, as Adi Schickelgruber languished in prison, Mussolini was just at the start of his more than 20 year fascist domination of Italy … you know Mussolini, right? … the guy who warned us that the definition of fascism wasCorporate rule, where,
‘War alone brings up to its highest tension all human energy and puts the stamp of nobility upon the peoples who have courage to meet it.”
https://columbia.edu/itc/history/winter/w3206/edit/mussfascism.html
This “ stamp of nobility “ makes it a noble act for a coward in a plane to drop ordnance on unarmed women and children, defines as a “man” someone who cringes before power like an old woman clutching her beads at an altar rail.
The 1’st world war smashed empires, leaving millions of people as non-citizens; stateless denizens which no nation wanted. It was these defenseless masses who were imprisoned or annihilated back when the human population was a “mere” 2 billion.
We are now at 4 X’s that number, yet no one has asked the obvious question that Covid made visible: how does humankind intend to dispose of the mountain of corpses it will produce in the coming decades? I think that the dymanic (sic) duo the fElon & the Skum has an idea or two.
Rob, thank you for your eloquent thoughts.
It is amazing to see Europe in particular seize upon the idea that borrowing insane amounts of money to fund a colossal programme of rearmament is the panacea for its ills, geopolitical and economic. Our species is really going around the twist.
Hey Panopticon, around a decade ago, I used to be part of a facebook collapse group, and every day, I used to do a news search for terms like “record rain”, “record snow”, “record storm”, a bit like the site you have here (I think actually you were part of that facebook group, but might be mistaken). When I look at the stories you’re finding, and the sheer quantity of ridiculous weather all over the world, I get a sense that things have accelerated…I don’t know how long you’ve been running this site, and am wondering if you have the same feeling. It would be interesting to compare the spring equinox 2015 to today and see how many stories of ridiculous weather there were a decade ago compared to today.
Solivagant, welcome to the website. We may well have been in the same FB group. I have certainly been haunting the doomosphere on social media since before then.
I’ve been running the site since 2018 and, actually, you can go back through the record and look at some of those older posts to get a comparison – but to answer your question directly, yes, something “broke” in 2023. The cause of that is still being debated.
Spring equinox 2015 wouldn’t be a great point of reference because a monster El Nino was underway. However, even so, temps back in March of that year were only around 1C above pre-industrial. We are currently sitting around 1.7C.
Last night I caught this link & thought; Pan will probably post something about this tomorrow. Low & behold what do I find in the first link: “,according to the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) State of the Global Climate report for 2024.”
Great minds travel in the same channel. 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaIQfONH7Ac
“Oops, Scientists May Have Severely Miscalculated How Many Humans Are on Earth”
It doesn’t matter, there are 200,000 more added each day.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/oops-scientists-may-severely-miscalculated-143000821.html