Many thanks to my October donor, Cassandra, who suggests this month listening daily to Adagio for Strings (one of the west’s most famous concert pieces) while you read the C & E posts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izQsgE0L450 (If you use the Brave browser it can play in the background even when not on that page, plus no ads!)
“The recent level of forcing and Earth’s Energy Imbalance increase are higher than any SSP scenario based estimate.
“Here is IPCC AR6 WG1 Figure 4.2, next to three graphs comparing observations with models.
“I put more trust in NASA CERES satellite observations than in models.” [Leon Simon[
https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/1972664091622695153
“World’s major cities hit by 25% leap in extremely hot days since the 1990s…
““Global temperatures are rising faster than governments probably expected and definitely faster than they seem to be reacting,” said Anna Walnycki, an IIED researcher. “Failing to adapt will condemn millions of city dwellers to increasingly uncomfortable and even dangerous conditions because of the urban heat island effect.””
“Scotland’s Changing Nature – Atlantic Salmon…
“Wild Atlantic salmon are sensitive to change, acting as an early warning system for problems in the wider ecosystem. Since the 1970s, the total estimated number of salmon returning to Scottish rivers has declined from around 1 million to 400,000.”
https://www.nature.scot/doc/scotlands-changing-nature-atlantic-salmon
“Ireland unprepared for another Storm Éowyn as season of extreme weather looms.
“Plans to scale up the response to extreme weather events such as Storm Éowyn have not been finalised even as a new storm season approaches. The Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) has criticised the delay, saying last January’s storm and its immediate predecessor, Storm Darragh, exposed “significant shortcomings…””
“Europe’s bill for extreme weather damage more than doubles this decade…
“Extreme weather and climate change caused more financial damage in Europe between 2020 and 2023 than it did in the whole preceding decade, according to a major survey underlining the impact of increasing ecosystem degradation and water scarcity on businesses.”
https://www.ft.com/content/b119fd7e-0507-4b13-b839-80da8314ad7f
“Valencia swamped by torrential rain a year on from deadly flooding.
“Heavy rain swamped streets in Spain’s Valencia almost a year since the devastating flash floods that killed more than 220 people in the region. Footage posted to social media on Sunday and Monday (28 and 29 September) showed how the torrential weather sent water gushing down roads. Spain’s state meteorological agency issued a red alert…”
https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/weather-spain-valencia-flooding-video-b2836052.html
“‘I couldn’t look’: European farmers on losing crops as the industry collides with worsening drought.
“Stories such as Goebel’s are becoming more common across the continent. Drought has cost Europe a staggering €11.2bn (£9.8bn) a year over the last few decades, a study found earlier this summer, and losses are set to mount as fossil fuel pollution clogs the atmosphere.”
“Sunken Village of Kallio Emerges from Mornos Lake Amid Historic Drought [Greece].
“The sunken village of Kallio in Dorida is resurfacing like never before as the water of Mornos Lake falls sharply due to an ongoing historic drought. Once hidden beneath the lake’s waters, the village’s streets, stone houses, and remnants of its old structures are now emerging…”
https://greekcitytimes.com/2025/09/30/sunken-village-kallio-emerges-mornos-lake/?amp
“EXCEPTIONAL HEAT WAVE IN CENTRAL AFRICA. Dozens of September Records smashed with huge margins all across the area:
“CONGO KINSHASA 35.8 [96.4F] Kinshasa; CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC 37.0 Bangui; CONGO BRAZZAVILLE: 36 Brazzaville, 35 34.5 Mouyondzi 500m asl and Dozens more.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1972006904399646989
“Wildfires ravage a third of Namibia’s flagship national park…
“”The fire has caused considerable damage to the grazing in the park and the surrounding communal areas amounting to hundreds of thousands of hectares of grazing land,” it said. “An unknown number of wildlife has been killed, whilst, thankfully, no human casualties have been reported.””
“HISTORIC HEAT IN TANZANIA:
“The capital Dodoma also breaks its September record with 33.9C [93F]. Nearly 100% of Tanzania has broken heat records this month, like every single tropical country. There had never been anything like this in modern climatic history.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1972732354872639543
“Hailstorms, floods devastate farmlands in Tigray, Amhara regions [Ethiopia].
“Addis Abeba- Severe hail mixed with heavy rain in Tigray and a series of floods and landslides in Amhara have destroyed thousands of hectares of farmland, leaving tens of thousands of farming households facing hardship.,, Farmers in the area told local media that the loss of crops has placed both their families and livestock in grave danger.”
https://addisstandard.com/hailstorms-floods-devastate-farmlands-in-tigray-and-amhara/
“Egypt Warns of Water Scarcity as Ethiopia Sets to Open Dam…
“Egypt and Sudan last week held a joint “2+2” meeting of their foreign and water ministers in Cairo, where they reiterated opposition to unilateral moves in the eastern Nile basin. A joint statement said the Renaissance Dam “poses a real threat to regional stability.””
https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5184307-egypt-warns-water-scarcity-ethiopia-sets-open-dam
“Mango growers face export collapse and heatwave losses.
“Israeli mango growers are reporting heavy financial losses this season following the collapse of exports to Europe and extreme heat that accelerated ripening and fruit drop. Large volumes of fruit have been left unharvested due to uneconomic production costs.”
“Iraq faces water crisis as government seeks short-term talks with Turkey…
“Turkey has maintained a firm stance on sharing the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates. Reports suggest the Turkish side has offered only “minor concessions,” far from resolving Iraq’s escalating water crisis, while proposing technical assistance to improve water-use efficiency and management.”
https://thearabweekly.com/iraq-faces-water-crisis-government-seeks-short-term-talks-turkey
“”HISTORIC HEAT WAVE IN MIDDLE EAST 46 [114.8F] DEGREES:
“46.0 Turbat PAKISTAN; 44C On the Omani coast at Diba. September records tied at the very end of the month. Next days the WORLD RECORD Of October highest temperature will be threatened. Insane and unprecedented late heat wave.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1972740673137946647
“Kabul’s wells run dry, driving children out of class and into water queues.
“Eight-year-old Noorullah and his twin, Sanaullah, spend their days hauling yellow jerrycans on a wheelbarrow through Kabul’s dusty alleys instead of going to school – an ordeal for one family that reflects Afghanistan’s deepening water crisis.”
“Heavy rain, flood batter Maharashtra; 11 dead, over 41,000 evacuated [India].
“Heavy rainfall has battered Maharashtra over the past three days, from September 27 to 29, claiming at least 11 lives in isolated flood-related incidents across the state. The relentless showers have triggered widespread flooding…”
“Never ending record heat in the Pacific and Indian Oceans:
“Yesterday Min 28.6C [83.5F] Male AP MALDIVES SEPTEMBER HOTTEST NIGHT IN HISTORY (broken for the 3rd time in few days). Min. 28.2 Mannar SRI LANKA Record again!”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1972673645374783971
“Ten weather stations across China broke their highest records for late September today, and Quzhou, Zhejiang reached 37.5C [99.5F].
“Further records are expected to be broken in Hebei on September 30, in Northeast China on October 1, and in Fujian and Zhejiang on October 4.” [Jim Yang].
https://x.com/yangyubin1998/status/1972290229458661798
“EXTRAORDINARY HEAT IN JAPAN:
“Despite being the end of the month, September records of highest temperature keep falling: 34.8C [95F] today at Miyagi Island, new September record. Summer will extend into October with a new warm spell.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1972609970924621914
“Heat waves, cold snaps, heavy downpours lead to slower spending: BOK [S Korea].
“Unusual climate events, including heat waves, cold snaps and heavy rain, led to a slower credit card spending, a Bank of Korea (BOK) report showed Monday. Card spending declined 7 percent during heat waves…”
“Typhoon Bualoi leaves 9 dead and 17 missing as it hits Vietnam.
“Typhoon Bualoi killed at least nine people and left 17 missing after making landfall in central Vietnam early on Monday morning, state media reported, before it was downgraded to a severe tropical storm and moved into Laos.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/vietnam-laos-hanoi-philippines-china-b2835527.html
“EXTRAORDINARY HISTORIC HEAT IN SE ASIA – 38.5 [101.3F] Sukang BRUNEI HOTTEST SEPTEMBER DAY IN HISTORY.
“INDONESIA Never ending record heat in 100% of the provinces. Minimum 28.2 Surabaya, 25.7 Pontianak. September hottest night again.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1972239735692390815
“FIERCE SPRING HEAT IN AUSTRALIA >40C.
“Record heat today in parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory. Up to 40.9C [105.6F] at McArthur which tied its record of September highest temperature.”
[Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1972625376833863722
“Brisbane’s driest September in 38 years, Cairns’ wettest in over a century.
“Brisbane only collected 0.8 mm of rain through the entire month, making it the city’s driest September in 38 years and its 4th driest in records dating back to 1840… A bunch of locations further inland had no rain at all this September, including Blackall, Hughenden and Richmond, but this wasn’t the first rainless September for these places.”
“‘Like summer’s come early’: Sea temperatures surge off Sydney.
“Sydneysiders have been making the most of unexpectedly warm weather driven by a temperature spike above Antarctica that has upended forecasts for a rainy spring, flocking to beaches and ocean pools around the city.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360839488/summers-come-early-sea-temperatures-surge-sydney
“Rapid changes in the Antarctic are ‘stark warning’ to the world.
“From collapsing ice shelves and record-low sea ice to powerful storms and threats to fragile ecosystems, researchers warn that Antarctica – often seen as remote and untouched – is now reaching dangerous tipping points that could accelerate global heating, raise sea levels, and disrupt weather patterns worldwide.”
“EXCEPTIONAL MILDNESS IN ANTARCTICA:
“Despite being early spring, temperatures have been well above freezing continuosly on the coast with frequent +5C/+7C: Even night minimums remained locally above freezing: in the US Base of Palmer the Tmin was +2.5C/36.5F, September warmest night.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1972477668156420521
“How the world’s taste for soya is eating Brazil’s Amazon…
““The river has gone out of control. We used to know when it would flood and when it would dry up. Now nobody knows any more,” says Nascimento, a rancher. “What men call progress has killed our history.””
“Video: Floods and motorcyclists swept away by rain on the road to El Salvador.
“On the afternoon of Monday, September 29, heavy rains fell along the El Salvador Highway, causing flooding in several sections of the road and causing a motorcyclist to be swept away by a torrent of stormwater. Flooding occurred at the “Nuestra Señora de la Luz” overpass…”
“Sinkholes worsen flooding in Mexico City and Edomex after extraordinary rains: Sheinbaum.
“Heavy rains over the weekend caused flooding in various areas of Mexico City and the State of Mexico, primarily in Iztapalapa and Nezahualcóyotl . According to President Claudia Sheinbaum , the flooding is not only due to extraordinary rainfall, but also to the differential subsidence that affects the capital each year.”
“HISTORIC HEAT IN SANTO DOMINGO [Dominical Republic] – the hottest night in history.
“Minimum temperature didn’t drop below 28.3C [82.9F] which is the highest minimum temperature Santo Domingo has ever had. Every single tropical country is pulverizing records like never before, often with huge margins.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1972782076937318557
“Humberto is now a Cat 5 – 160 mph! It’s the first time in nearly a century with back to back seasons with Cat 5’s in the Atlantic.
“We are seeing our warmer future unfold in real-time, IMO… We are changing the climate so quickly systemic changes now happen in real-time, thus diagnosis of trends needs to happen faster than the traditional science can deliver.” [Jeff Berardelli]
https://x.com/WeatherProf/status/1972041410258894880
“State of emergency declared after flash flooding [Globe, Arizona].
“Flash floods in Arizona have resulted in four confirmed deaths and several people remaining missing… Officials are particularly concerned about hundreds of propane tanks that may have been washed downstream, posing a major hazardous materials risk.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/arizona-flooding-globe-deaths-b2835270.html
“Dozens of wells have run dry on Grand Manan as summer drought persists into fall.
“Many residents of New Brunswick‘s largest island have been left high and dry after this summer’s severe drought, with volunteers scrambling to deliver water to seniors and families. The island just off the province’s southwest coast experienced its driest summer on record…”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/grand-manan-wells-dry-1.7646525
“Evacuations ordered as Annapolis Valley wildfire grows.
“An evacuation order has been issued for residents living near the Lake George wildfire in Nova Scotia‘s Annapolis Valley, which has grown to an estimated 80 hectares and is now considered out of control… “Take your pets, important documents and enough medication, food and emergency supplies,” the alert said.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/annapolis-valley-wildfire-evacuation-1.7646703
“CANADA 2025: The summer which didn’t want to end
Another ridiculously hot day in the Prairies: 31.9C/90F at Medicine Hat (717m asl/2352 feet)! 31.1C Leader; 31.0C Esther etc. Over a dozen stations >30C [86F]. That’s just the beginning. Expect a deluge in October….of heat records I mean.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1972844013708627977
“North Pacific marine heatwave raises concerns among some Alaskan scientists.
“According to information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Southern Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and Western Aleutians have hit moderate heatwave intensity this year, while the Central and Eastern Aleutian have gone a step up and seen a strong heatwave intensity.”
“How spreading rocks on fields could combat climate change.
“…[However] scaling up the process could have its own ecological footprint. At present, companies such as Undo typically make use of leftover rock supplies at existing quarries — but they would likely need to find vast new quantities of rock at sites close to agricultural land if the process is widely adopted.”
https://www.ft.com/content/c81d3843-c04a-43cc-9d4e-caa8e686fe3a
“Nations Rethink Plans for Brazil Climate Summit as Costs Soar…
“Some developed countries are also pulling back, with one citing the shortage of rooms and a need to rein in costs as a duty to taxpayers. Dutch Minister of Climate Policy and Green Growth Sophie Hermans said the Netherlands will be at COP30 but with a smaller showing than last year.”
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Humans, more than any other animal, need a varied diet to provide essential amino acids (we can’t make nine of the twenty we use), vitamins, a couple of essential oils that we get mainly from fish and seafood, and minerals, most importantly iron and calcium. Over the next decades agricultural yields are going to fall, the harvested food’s nutritional value will drop and long distance supply chains will collapse. More than by starvation the global population will be whittled down by deficiency diseases like anaemia, scurvy, beri-beri and PEU. Additionally malnutrition leaves populations open to epidemics, for example plague can only take hold where large numbers are protein deficient.
For much of human’s evolution we were on the edge of extinction because we were constantly butting against such nutritional limits. As we revert to hunter-gatherer-scavanger bands the same issues will manifest, but this time it will be an even bigger long shot that we survive as the environment will be significantly impoverished, plus the surviving, genetically bottlenecked, humans will be less well adapted, with smaller brains and full of nano particles and forever chemicals.
p.s. as an alternative uplifting piece I’d suggest the overture from Fidelio.
Good one, George! I am a huge Beethoven fan and I especially love this conductor and orchestra which plays the piece you suggested:
https://youtu.be/kQ8xsi42ubA?feature=shared
(In case Barber gets you too down.)
And excellent points about the decline if human nutrition. Along those lines:
“micro plastics could be weakening your bones”
https://www.wired.com/story/microplastics-could-be-weakening-your-bones-research-suggests-osteoporosis/
h/t Heather
Thanks, George. That is very interesting re our complex dietary requirements. I suspect that before slow, grinding malnutrition becomes a problem for those of us lucky enough to have full bellies, we will be all but wiped out by the sudden unavailability of food in the supermarkets due to financial shocks paralysing supply-chains.
I’m a bit of a philistine when it comes to classical music, so here is something contemporary and melancholy, although not as sombre Adagio for Strings – Thomas Newman’s theme music from Road to Perdition:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uoY10Oz4Mk&list=RD_uoY10Oz4Mk&start_radio=1
I try not to think about the microplastics too much, as it seems there’s no escaping them.
“Rising global concentrations of environmental microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) drive concerns for human exposure and health outcomes… even greater accumulation of MNPs was observed in a cohort of decedent brains with documented dementia diagnosis, with notable deposition in cerebrovascular walls and immune cells…”
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03453-1
I’m concerned about the decline in human IQ since it’s in minus numbers.
“Some developed countries are also pulling back, with one citing the shortage of rooms and a need to rein in costs as a duty to taxpayers. Dutch Minister of Climate Policy and Green Growth Sophie Hermans said the Netherlands will be at COP30 but with a smaller showing than last year.”
Spinning their way out of having to spin climate action as an actual thing that is definitely happening, so they can spin their way back into another mandate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxzKAl5NGQ8
That mash-up works pretty well, Jupiviv. I must admit to having a soft spot for Kylie, and love Earth, Wind & Fire. Phil Bailey’s soaring falsetto definitely one of pop’s more memorable sounds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUYe0qNJYuI&list=RDWUYe0qNJYuI&start_radio=1
That little “enhanced rock weathering” experiment will have to compete for land with – then counteract the effects of – more data centers, factories, subdivisions, and solar farms.
Another hit of hopium telling us that everything is under control and, so keep reproducing and consuming as much as ever.
💯
La la la I can’t hear you! Everything will be fiiiiine!
Hmm. Quarrying our way to a more stable climate… 🤔 The article goes on to say:
“…some fear that carbon capture methods like enhanced weathering may be used to justify the continued use of fossil fuels. “I’m anxious it could be another vessel for greenwashing,” said Beerling…
“Companies including British Airways, McLaren, and Microsoft have already committed to buying enhanced rock weathering credits from start-ups such as San-Francisco-based Terradot and UK-based Undo.”
terrific quote from the soya article: “what men call progress has killed our history.” a perfect summation
That jumped out at me, too, John.
A popular series is that’s been on the air here in the States is “Homestead Rescue”,
https://go.discovery.com/video/homestead-rescue-discovery/hurricane-ravaged?xp=dds-atve_dsc_episode_watchon_homestead-rescue
The upcoming premiere follows the Raneys as they tackle the time-sensitive and pain-staking process of rebuilding a fourth-generation homestead after Hurricane Helen ripped through and obliterated the 100-year-old farmhouse. Additionally, the once self-sufficient family is hopeful the rebuild can include self-sustainability as they previously enjoyed it.
Seems that this is a glimpse in our future but without the rescue ending or “happy ending” we can still provide with the (temporary )”age of abundance” currently provided by the use of market economy.
Been watching a bit and this one is a good one.
Vince, it won’t open for me, alas.
Re hurricane’s, ex-hurricane Humberto will hitting my part of the world this weekend. I shall have to go out and trim my towering hollyhocks. The garden has only just recovered from Storm Floris, which brought Scotland’s strongest August winds on record.
Pan, I checked the link and had no problem with it…strange
Try this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5H6DApjygQ&t=3s
Two minute short clip but the Discovery link has the full episode
The classical music definitely put things into perspective. Though, I swear seeing these headlines always ends up putting frantic metal music in the back of my head.
The punks tried to warn us back in the 80s. But nobody listened.
I did enjoy the movie Deep Water Horizon a lot with Kurt Russell and John Malkovich back in 2016 and seems Beyond Petroleum (BP) is setting the stage for a sequel
BP has reached the final investment decision on its estimated $5 billion Tiber-Guadalupe project in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, as part of its strategy to grow upstream production and boost its U.S. output to more than 1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2030.
Tiber-Guadalupe, 100%-owned by the UK-based supermajor, will be BP’s seventh operated oil and gas production hub in the Gulf of America, featuring a new floating production platform with the capacity to produce 80,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
How nice… remember in the movie Russell warned about the blowout and economic/policy concerns overruled caution…
Just watched a YouTube video regarding climate change and it was brought out that the Challenger Space shuttle launch should have not been approved also, the temperature was way below the acceptable range. Because of the stage (politics, expectations and other pressures) the go ahead was given….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmZbwLC-kEw
And the band played on…
Is that “Who Let The Dogs Out?” playing in the background?
Since there are some of us didn’t make the Rapture does that mean we are going to Hell? I’ve not heard of anyone suddenly go missing to heaven. I hope they are preparing for a huge expansion to the inferno. Wait! Maybe this is Hell.
Can Hell be worse than the hell the gods made when they created the Clever Ape? Damn! Another forest & trees conundrum. 😉
Just read this.
“The average American’s IQ is lower than billionaire taxes.”