Huge thanks to my sponsor for March, the splendid Professor Pongoo.
“How a shift in the Gulf Stream could signal the collapse of a major ocean current system.
“Researchers identified several red flags in both the real-world data and the model. The most significant is that the Gulf Stream has already begun to drift northward from the coast near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. This northward shift is exactly what happened in the simulation just before the circulation failed.”
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-shift-gulf-stream-collapse-major.html
“Greenland’s Untested Oil Basin Could Be the Next Big Discovery…
“Greenland Energy was formed to move quickly on the surge of global interest now surrounding Greenland and the Arctic… Its objective is clear: drill the first modern exploration wells in the Jameson Land basin and test what geologists believe could be one of the largest undeveloped petroleum systems in the Arctic.”
“Coping through the wettest winter on record [UK].
“The start to 2026 has seen relentless rain in many parts of the West Midlands, causing widespread flooding, waterlogged football pitches, homes and businesses counting the cost… is this record-breaking rain something we have to get used to?”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjd99ypzd9no
“‘Exceptional’ wetness points to climate change future, say scientists.
““Exceptional” atmospheric rivers that brought record rainfall and widespread flooding to western and southern Europe in February should draw more attention to climate change, said the EU earth observation service.”
https://www.ft.com/content/2049ad66-5156-406f-b765-bbe1da42b4b6
“Swiss glaciers entering the year 2026 – bad news once more…
“At the moment there’s very little snow protecting the ice surface, especially in the East and the South. It is the 4th in the last 5 years with such a deficit – with consequences on the next summer’s ice loss.” [Matthias Huss]
https://x.com/matthias_huss/status/2008580286096044368
“According to MétéoSuisse measurements, despite a cold spell at the start of the year, there were only 31 frost days in Geneva between Dec. 1, 2025 and Feb. 28, 2026.
“This is the 2nd lowest value since measurements began in 1864, behind the 2015/2016 winter with 30 days.” [Mystere Meteo]
https://x.com/MystereMeteo/status/2030964362907672724
“Oil and gas industry urge EU to pause methane emissions law.
“Major oil and gas industry groups, including IOGP Europe and FuelsEurope, are urging the European Union to “stop the clock” and pause the implementation of the EU Methane Regulation. This appeal, intensified in March 2026…”
“Murcia deploys ‘firefighter sheep’ to help prevent wildfires [Spain]…
“One of the main focuses of the project includes fire prevention through silvopasture of sheep. This is an innovative strategy that allows the sheep to graze naturally in areas susceptible to fires, and naturally reduce the accumulation of dry plants that can kindle fires.”
https://euroweeklynews.com/2026/03/08/murcia-deploys-firefighter-sheep-to-help-prevent-wildfires/
“RECORD HEAT IN GABON – another record in Franceville! 36.0C [96.8F] yesterday is its highest ever temperature in March.
“Next days Africa will be swept by several fierce heat waves from the North (40C) to Central (44C) to South Africa (45C).”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2030608972542255273
“Egypt, South Africa face several water challenges due to water scarcity…
“Speaking during the opening of a joint virtual seminar with South African Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina, Sewilam noted that both countries rely on international rivers for their renewable water resources, making continuous dialogue and technical cooperation critically important.”
“BRUTAL HEAT WAVE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA:
“An historic event has kicked off in South Africa and Namibia. ALL TIME RECORDS SMASHED – 44.0C [111.2F] Alexander Bay, 43.7C Luderiz Point. Next days will be much hotter and dozens of historical records will be pulverized.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2031059942518759895
“Kenya flash floods death toll rises to 45.
“In the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, at least 25 people have died after flash flooding causing flight disruptions and left motorists stranded for hours. The total death toll across the country has now reached at least 45.”
“The Iran War is also a climate war…
“At a time when civilization is hurtling toward irreversible climate breakdown, to overlook the climate consequences of three of the deadliest militaries on Earth going to war would be journalistic malpractice.”
https://www.theenergymix.com/the-iran-war-is-also-a-climate-war/
“Dust Storms and Blistering Summer Heat Add to Iran War Calculus…
“The confluence of weather risks could logistically complicate the conflict now raging across the Middle East. Many of the hazards are familiar; clouds, dust storms and flash floods have challenged military campaigns across the region for decades.”
“Seven Winters of Scarcity: Kashmir’s Fragile Ecosystem Exposes Global Climate Vulnerabilities.
“Kashmir braces for rain and snowfall after record February heat and drought-like conditions, as experts warn climate change is disrupting the Valley’s weather and threatening agriculture.”
“HISTORIC HEAT WAVE IN INDIA. Never happened a heat like this so early.
“Today another milestone was reached with New Delhi rising well above 35C [95F], arguably the earliest 35C in history (tb confirmed). But next days will be even hotter, so we will see the earliest 36C and maybe the 37C.”
[Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2030233511236628685
“EXTRAORDINARY HEAT ALL OVER ASIA:
“From unprecedented heat in India, Pakistan and China, especially the Kashmir and Tibetan Plateaus (20C / 68F at 3800m, 27C at 2000m, up to 18C above average !) to SE Asia. March Records: INDONESIA Max. 37.5 Tanah Merah; PHILIPPINES Min. 26.4 Catarman.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2030263107990241414
“Wildfires ravage Lampang forests as northern Thailand air quality falls into red zone.
“Monitoring centers reported a surge in thermal hotspots across the northern region on Sunday, with 78 hotspots detected during the morning session alone. The most significant activity was concentrated in the Mueang and Chae Hom districts.”
“Search Ends After 7 Killed in Garbage Landslide at Bantargebang [Java]…
“Search and rescue officials confirmed that the final missing victim, Riki Supriadi, 40, was found late Monday night at around 11:30 p.m. local time. His body was later transported to Kramat Jati Police Hospital in East Jakarta for further handling.”
https://jakartaglobe.id/news/search-ends-after-7-killed-in-garbage-landslide-at-bantargebang
“Global fatal landslides in 2025…
“In summary, even without a full understanding of the events in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, 2025 was the second worst year for global fatal landslides in my dataset. There is strong evidence that the burden of landslides is continuing to increase.”
https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/global-fatal-landslides-in-2025
“Bundaberg residents told to evacuate immediately amid major flooding in parts of Queensland…
“It comes after days of heavy rain across northern Australia, with parts of the Northern Territory experiencing their worst flooding in decades, and Darwin residents asked to reduce water use after the Darwin River Dam – the city’s major water source – stopped operating due to flooding.”
“Crocodiles ‘everywhere’ in Australia’s flooded Northern Territory…
“Travis Wurst, assistant police commissioner, warned the inhabitants of Katherine not to “do something silly” like jumping in the water. With characteristic Australian understatement, he said the presence of large crocodiles “will make your life difficult”.”
“Record heat in AUSTRALIA moves from East To West:
“March Records High Minimums broken today: 29.7 [85.5F] Mount Magnet, 27.8 Wongan Hills, 26.4 Cunderdin. Next week temperatures up to 43/44C and many records coming.”
[Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2030509267808321756
“Australia’s driest town swamped as deadly storms swirl [South Australia].
“It’s supposed to be the driest town in Australia, but Oodnadatta has been left a sea of buckets and tarps after being hit in an inland big wet that claimed the life of one man.”
“A system under strain: Rising house insurance costs raise tough questions [NZ].
“Amid another summer of weather disasters around the country, it emerged one insurer had temporarily stopped offering new home policies in Westport because of flood risk. This follows wider concerns about insurers retreating from high-risk areas and more than a decade of rising premiums.”
“Guam’s driest month on record track to be one of its wettest.
“”It’s a very atypical pattern for this time of year,” Landon Aydlett, warning coordination meteorologist at the NWS Weather Forecast Office Guam, told The Guam Daily Post Monday morning.”
“Hawaii to see ‘potentially life-threatening weather’ with torrential rain, flooding.
“Through Saturday, “we could easily see over 20 inches in the harder-hit areas, but that’s just a ballpark estimate,” said Laura Farris, a meteorologist at the weather service office in Hawaii. Greater totals are possible atop the state’s volcanoes, which can measure feet of rain from the biggest storms.”
https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/article/hawaii-storm-rain-21969757.php
“New data suggests this has the potential to become one of the strongest El Niño events on record…
“The planet may experience a strong or even a super El Niño later this year, one that could rival the strongest ones in history, according to new climate data recently released by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026/03/09/super-el-nino-explained/
“Fearing impacts of coastal El Niño, Peru’s fishers call for early launch to anchovy season…
“Peru’s Estudio National del Fenómeno de El Niño (ENFEN) climate agency – a multisectoral scientific technical entity charged with monitoring ocean and atmosphere anomalies to give an early warning for the El Niño phenomenon – has warned of a coastal El Niño.”
“Storm in Asunción: Heavy rains leave streets flooded and cause traffic chaos [Paraguay].
“A storm in Asunción brought heavy rains that flooded streets, caused strong currents, and disrupted traffic in several areas of the capital and cities in the Central Department. The storm, although brief, created difficulties for drivers and pedestrians.”
“Storm causes streams to overflow and cars become submerged [Sao Paulo, Brazil].
“Between noon and 6 pm, the Fire Department recorded at least 183 calls for flooding, 15 fallen trees, and three building collapses in the capital and metropolitan region.”
“Record heat never ends in MEXICO… Exceptional hot night in Piedras Negras, near the border with Texas with a Minimum Temperature of 23.0C/73.4F.
“Record of Hottest March night in history pulverized again.”
[Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2030357326172148159
“‘Dire catastrophe’: Corpus Christi could be close to running out of water.
“The imminent depletion of water supplies in Corpus Christi threatens to cut off the flow of jet fuel to Texas airports and other oil exports from one of the nation’s largest petroleum ports, triggering potential shock waves through energy markets in Texas and beyond.”
https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/corpus-christi-collapse-of-water-supply-21963019.php
“Colorado River may deliver just a third of normal water supplies this spring, projections show…
“Lake Powell and its counterpart, Lake Mead, make up the vast majority of water storage on the Colorado River, which provides drinking water to 40 million people, sustains millions of acres of agriculture and provides critical wildlife habitat.”
https://www.greeleytribune.com/2026/03/09/colorado-river-drought-forecast-lake-powell/
“Nevada looks for help from cloud seeding amid record low snowpack…
“This winter is proving to be a challenging year for Nevada. Snowpack in the State of Nevada and Eastern Sierra in California is well below normal at 56% of median, compared to 94% at this time last year.”
“Death Valley could reach a scorching 107°F next week if the forecast models are correct.
“This would obliterate the Death Valley National Park and California statewide record for the month of March by 3°F. Wow!” [The Global Warmer]
https://x.com/TheGlobalWarmer/status/2031199292531081217
“While the mean temperature fell slightly below the unbelievably mild US winter of 2023-2024, we EASILY set a new record for average maximum temperature.
“The average DJF maximum of 48.31°F (9.06°C) was nearly 4°F (2.22°C) above the mean of 1991-2020. This obliterated the prior record set in 2023-2024.” [The Global Warmer]
https://x.com/TheGlobalWarmer/status/2031045327122243610
“U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters in 2025…
“Research by Climate Central shows that during 2025, there were 23 individual weather and climate disasters with at least $1 billion in damages. This was the third-highest count of billion-dollar disasters (inflation-adjusted to 2025 dollars) since 1980, trailing only 2023 and 2024, with 28 and 27 events, respectively.”
https://www.climatecentral.org/report/us-billion-dollar-weather-and-climate-disasters-2025
“At least eight people dead after spate of tornadoes across central US.
“Communities throughout the central United States were cleaning up and trying to recover after an onslaught deadly tornadoes struck the region over the weekend. At least eight people had been confirmed dead as of Monday, with dozens more injured.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/09/tornadoes-central-us-deaths
“A sacred Minnesota food is in decline.
“Wild rice, central to Anishinaabe culture, is shrinking as climate change and pollution take a toll… Manoomin is threatened by invasive species, disease, development, and climate change. Research shows that rice beds tend to be sparser in years with less winter ice and more spring rain.”
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/03/a-sacred-minnesota-food-is-in-decline/
“Record-breaking warm temperatures, heavy rainfall in parts of Ontario cause road issues.
“A low-pressure system tracked over Ontario on Saturday, bringing snow and rain to northeastern sections of the province and rain, fog and mild temperatures to southern Ontario. It led to significant snow melt and reports of ponding on roads in several areas…”
“Alaska’s glacial lakes are expanding, increasing the risk of destructive outburst floods…
“Suicide Basin is just one example of a growing problem from glacial lakes that threaten communities around the world, particularly in the Himalayas and Andes, and is transforming Alaska’s landscape as global temperatures rise.”
“Governing Permafrost Thaw in the Arctic Is Now a Systems Challenge.
“As the Arctic warms faster than the global average, permafrost thaw is no longer a distant geophysical concern but a defining governance challenge. Managing its impacts requires adaptive institutions capable of responding to environmental change that is accelerating, uneven, and globally consequential…”
“Here’s a new look at Sea Surface Temperatures, now including the official boundaries for “Gobsmacking Bananas,” “Uncharted Territory” and “Totally F&%ked”.
“Look at 1998/99, 2016/17 and 2024/25. This is what to expect in 2027/28 if a monster El Nino comes to pass later this year.”
[Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://x.com/EliotJacobson/status/2030727150668861602
I rely on donations and tips from my readers to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
Wow, it’s cascading catastrophes at this point. Meh…
First confirmed cases of bird flu in California elephant seals stoke fear as virus surges worldwide:
https://www.newspress.com/2026/03/09/bird-flu-california-elephant-seals/
Symptoms include severe respiratory distress, coughing, nasal discharge, lethargy, tremors and seizures for the poor elephant seals. Sounds miserable for the skuas, too:
“H5N1 avian influenza has struck Antarctica for the first time—leaving a troubling trail of dead seabirds [skuas] in its wake…. Researchers on an Antarctic expedition found the virus ravaging these powerful seabirds, with some suffering severe neurological symptoms—twisted necks, circling behavior, and even falling from the sky.”
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260211073029.htm
Quark’s latest article via Google translate.
The recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz has made it clear to many oil importers that electrification is not only necessary, but essential. For example, countries like China , South Korea, Japan, and those in Europe can accelerate their respective energy transition efforts to move away from oil.
We cannot rely on modern geopolitics, where the law of the strongest prevails and certain nations have the power to decide whether the transit of crude oil and refined products across geographical boundaries is subject to control and authorization. Furthermore, as we are observing in the analyses of the Trump team (and seemingly impartial observers ), oil exports can be restricted based on self-interest, leaving importers with an unmanageable uncertainty when they need the oil.
Since electrification is already underway, some countries have concluded that the transition to clean energy must be strengthened and accelerated to avoid this dependence. And the electrification of transport is one of the ways to reduce or eliminate, in the future, the critical need for oil.
But like everything in life, it’s not that simple. The uses of crude oil aren’t limited to transportation, public works, or aviation. It’s also used in the extraction of a key element for electrification: copper. In fact, mining is extremely dependent on oil and its derivatives.
Since this is something most people are unaware of, I have asked AI to give me a complete account of oil use in mining.
And the result is disheartening.
[Initially, I asked him how oil and its derivatives are used for the extraction and refining of copper, because in that process (with material from copper oxide mines) sulfur (sulfuric acid) is needed.]
Sulfur is obtained mostly (more than 90%) as a by-product of oil and natural gas refining (removal of H2S, hydrogen sulfide) through the Claus process .
Subsequently, the sulfur is converted into sulfuric acid, which is used in copper leaching (a hydrometallurgical process that primarily uses dilute sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and water to dissolve copper from oxide ores or sulfides, forming a copper sulfate-rich solution) . This solution then undergoes further processing to obtain high-purity copper cathodes. Copper production from oxides accounts for 15-20% of total global copper production.
In other words, sulfur is essential for obtaining high-purity copper when the ore is an oxide (or it is also used in low-grade sulfides). And that sulfur comes from oil and natural gas refining, so the indirect dependence is evident.
The complete list.
Dependence on oil in copper extraction
1. Fuels for machinery
The most direct use.
Diesel for giant mining trucks (haul trucks)
Diesel for excavators
Diesel for hydraulic shovels
Diesel for drilling machines
Diesel for bulldozers
Diesel for electric generators in remote mines
Fuel for auxiliary vehicles
In open-pit mines, the transport of rock can consume millions of liters per year .
2. Petroleum-derived lubricants
All heavy machinery needs oil.
Hydraulic oils
Engine oils
Industrial greases
Gear lubricants
Compressor oils
Transmission fluids
They are all derivatives of petroleum refining .
3. Giant Tires
Mining trucks use enormous tires (up to 4 m in diameter).
Petroleum-derived materials:
Synthetic rubber
Carbon black
Resins
Plasticizers
Chemical additives
A single tire can weigh 3-5 tons .
4. Explosives for blasting
Mining uses large quantities of explosives.
The most common is ANFO , which contains:
Ammonium nitrate
Fuel oil (petroleum)
Other explosives also use:
emulsions with hydrocarbons
combustible gels
5. Chemical reagents in flotation
When copper is separated from the ore.
Many reagents come from the petrochemical industry:
Xanthates (collectors)
Sparkling wines
Modifiers
Depressants
Many are synthesized from alcohols, hydrocarbons, and petrochemical derivatives .
6. Leaching (sulfuric acid)
To extract copper from oxidized minerals.
Indirect dependencies on oil:
Sulfur production
Acid transport
Energy to manufacture the acid
Elemental sulfur often comes from oil and gas refining (desulfurization).
7. Electricity (in some countries)
Mining consumes enormous amounts of electricity to:
trituration
grinding
pumping
electrowinning
ventilation
In some places, part of that electricity comes from thermal power plants using petroleum or gas derivatives .
8. Industrial plastics
Many of the materials from the mine are petrochemicals.
Examples:
HDPE pipes
geomembranes
coatings
electrical insulators
tanks
valves
chemical containers
9. Global Transport
The copper moves several times:
Mine → plant
Plant → foundry
Foundry → refinery
Refinery → factory
Factory → industry
Departments:
trucks (diesel)
trains
ships (fuel oil)
10. Construction of the mine
Years of construction are needed before copper can be extracted.
Oil dependencies:
asphalt
construction machinery
engineering plastics
explosives
geotextiles
polymer-insulated cables
11. Industrial Maintenance
Petroleum products used continuously:
solvents
degreasers
industrial paints
sealants
resins
adhesives
12. Hydraulic systems
Mining machines operate using:
petroleum-derived hydraulic fluids
Without them, excavators or shovels don’t work.
13. Liners and grinding balls
The following are used in mills:
polymer coatings
elastomers
resins
Many come from the petrochemical industry.
14. Safety equipment
Protective equipment made with petrochemicals:
helmets
safety boots
gloves
glasses
ventilators
synthetic clothing
15. Pumping systems
To move leaching solutions:
plastic pipes
stamps
together
anti-corrosion coatings
All petrochemical derivatives.
————————————————
As you can see, electrification does not save us from dependence on oil, but at the same time, it makes us copper addicts, so we end up needing two fundamental elements instead of just one (apart from gas).
The extreme complexity of the system makes simplifying processes very difficult. When we eliminate the use of one of the fundamental elements, we realize that we either become dependent on another, equally scarce element, or we lose efficiency, or we continue to indirectly need the eliminated element or all the steps simultaneously.
The paradox of fate is that the use of copper to electrify the system and eliminate oil requires crude oil and derivatives for the extraction and refining of copper, so that if we eliminate oil, we stop producing a large part of the refined copper.
Paradoxical or ironic (my favorite word for this era)? In any case, I read every word. Astounding. Gives a feel for COMPLEXITY! Or as Quark said “extreme complexity”!
Besides the ‘hidden’ or rather deliberately obfuscated FF dependence of electrification, there’s also the ‘hidden’ human cost borne by the ample business ends of various green/renewable supply chains. Like China claiming transition away from coal by rebranding structural unemployment and informality caused by privatization and mechanization of coal mines.
Thanks. I’ve been thinking about this and waiting for someone else to do the work of figure it out the particulars.
There is no such beast as “alternative” energy.
“Green energy” is an oxymoron as stupid as “Clean coal.”
My mantra:
Sustainable is unattainable.
Great mantra!
“Sustainable is unattainable.”
This is it, unfortunately. Industrial civilisation is inherently unsustainable and self-terminating.
Hello Jupiviv,
Thank you for this long scroll from Quark showing how copper availability is only possible by FFs and the addition of many other mined Elements from the Periodic table.
A mental experiment I do quite frequently is look at an object, then imagine how much FF energy was required to manufacture it and bring it into use.
For a simple item such as a telephone pole: I mentally stack an equivalent height of oil drums beside the pole, then set it all on fire to represent the entropic pollution & emissions into the ecosphere.
So just being aware of how many telephone poles a person can see as they drive around, then mentally burn them up gives a larger boundary analysis of our incredible addiction to FFs and how destructive we are to the ‘Little Blue Marble’.
I encourage everyone to do this mental trick with nearly everything you see and use.
A tube of lady’s lipstick or chapstick for men mentally becomes a small flaming blowtorch instantly blistering your lips as the total energy to make, blister package in plastic, advertise, and distribute represents at least a gallon of highly flammable gasoline.
I have no idea what female lipstick costs, but it is probably more than $3.20/gallon for the gasoline I just bought for my vehicle.
Another example: a roll of toilet paper mentally converted into a liter of gasoline. After wiping your butt, it explodes into flames to represent Entropy. No wonder we are grateful to drop the sheets into a toilet bowl of water!
The total cost of my laptop, desk, office chair, computer monitor, and internet connection converted into barrels of oil mentally means that I am surrounded by a stack of fifty drums or more. I am mentally sitting in a funeral pyre of towering flames as I type write now!
Bob Shaw Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?
LoL brilliant! I have often had a similar thought as I look around my home, but have not added the flaming oil drum imagery. Reminds of the famous meme:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1717431543/this-is-fine-meme-funny-clipart-digital
Hello Cassandra,
Yep, my mental picture of the Pentagon and all the accumulated historical energy and Periodic Table usage since the advent of steel bayonets, muskets, swords, and the cannons since the American Revolution [250 years!]:
Bury the Pentagon with every seagoing full oil tanker and full LNG ship on the planet, then add mountains of coal until it is twice as tall as Burj Khalifa. Then set it all on fire for max entropy. It would be quite the mental image of a dissipative structure reducing an incredible energy gradient, no?
——————-
AI generated fake video of Burj Khalifa on fire
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fact-check-fake-video-shows-054015326.html
—————–
ME: Of course, that figment of my nanoplastic-infused mental image of a huge Pentagon fire is absolutely nothing compared to all the REAL-TIME Hiroshima bombs/second exploding as detailed by Eliot Jacobson at Climate Casino:
———————-
https://substack.com/@climatecasino/note/c-200230285
According to the latest CERES data just released yesterday for October, 2025, the current rate of planetary heating is about 10.28 Hiroshimas per second.
This equals 37,000 Hiroshimas per hour, 890,000 per day, and about 324 million Hiroshimas in planetary heating over the last year.
——————-
ME: okay, back to packing before my wife explodes. LOL, that would be worse than the Death Star in Star Wars!
She hates it when I procastinate, so true!
Bob Shaw Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?
Bob, that is an intriguing thought experiment.
Not that I’m comparing you to them, but I wonder if those fire-and-brimstone preachers go around visualising all the sinful people and objects they encounter erupting in flames. 🤔
Hey Pan, I think Rob covered that topic quite well over the last few days with his postings–Full credit to Rob!
Bob, he has, and with his usual flair for linguistic acrobatics.
Edwards Aquifer Nears Emergency Drought Conditions
https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/edwards-aquifer-nears-emergency-drought-conditions/
The key word in the title is Nears. After reading this, I was not surprised at the (intentional?) lack of urgency.
“What we need is long-term, sustained, above-average rainfall, ideally for years.” Riiiight.
“Having a diverse portfolio of water supplies is probably more important than ever these days for service supply providers, because there’s so much uncertainty,” Did you catch that? Diverse portfolio… water is an investment. Investments are made because investors want returns on their investments. And, as usual, the big users (ag & industries) have for years benefited from underpricing of water.
Tick tock, tick tock.
As you pointed out, Texas: “Nears” “Diverse portfolio”
I wonder where those other water supplies will come from?
🤦🏻♀️
Hello Texas Guy,
My Mason house [under contract] is on the Hickory Aquifer. I think it is just a matter of time before the big cities around me [San Angelo, San Antonio, Austin] come with drill rigs and pipelines to suck the last water away. Our closing date is March 30th, so I think I have enough time to skedaddle north.
The president of the local bank said his greatest fear for Mason is its water supply as it is entirely sucked up from the aquifer.
https://www.twdb.texas.gov/groundwater/aquifer/minors/hickory.asp
https://www.sanangelo.gov/571/Hickory-Aquifer
————–
The Hickory Aquifer project is an operation that brings groundwater from the Hickory Sands Aquifer, 15 miles south of Melvin, to San Angelo through a 62-mile, 30-inch pipeline…
—————-
ME: If Trump says that ‘might is right’ is the new universal law then little Mason won’t stand a political chance in hell of holding off the big cities and their giant drinking straws.
Old Western saying: “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting!’
Bob Shaw Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?
Tick Tock indeed, Texas Guy.
“Yearslong drought could be the final straw for South Texas farmers… Cargill said some farmers are being forced to sell their water to stay afloat, while others are folding up shop altogether.”
https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2026/03/04/years-long-drought-could-be-the-final-straw-for-south-texas-farmers/
Check out the 10 day forecast for Phoenix. Its going to almost 30 degrees above normal and maybe 10 degrees above the previous high. Guy Mcpherson said around 10 years ago that the southwest would be unihabitable in 5 years. Close enough. Probably very happy he is up in Vermont and not still in Arizona.
https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/us/az/phoenix
And this is after having the warmest winter on record, Duke, 6F above the average.
Vermont seems to be quite flood prone but I’m sure Guy M has factored this in.
Thought for sure I had posted this but I cannot find it. Corpus Christi is in trouble. Main reservoir is at 9.5%. Greatly effects the refineries.
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/08/texas-corpus-christi-water-crisis/
Duke,
That is a great link, big thanks! Legacy of the Imbeciles applies to all that are not aware of Overshoot & Collapse–> Once again, cue up the proto-humans fighting over the very last mud puddle.
This time in the blazing Texas desert sun wearing cowboy hats and boots & spurs!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wstIBq2H0z8
Sorry to hear the southern US water issues, Where I am, once the “driest continent on Earth” where I grew up with a totally unconscious, never thought about, water-saving cultural mindset .. and travelling in my youth to the US constantly jaw-dropped & gob-smacked at the waste of it..
I wish there was a magic massive planetary pipeline to divert our current water “surplus” to y’all.
Thinking, the Earth is almost a “closed system”, so no matter how dry one region gets, another is getting way too much…
As I take one more morning coffee, before girding my overalls & work gloves to tackle my yard of thigh-high & still-soaked greenery going to seed
“no matter how dry one region gets, another is getting way too much…”
That is a beautifully concise explanation!
Get a load of this!
————————
Trump calls on oil tanker crews in the Gulf to ‘show some guts,’ push through raging war
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-calls-on-oil-tanker-crews-in-the-gulf-to-show-some-guts-push-through-raging-war/ar-AA1XVIjL?ocid=msedgntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=69b0af92f58c44079f1899ff696e60b0&ei=26&cvpid=69b0b4a4d283483c972908450fd7edb2
———————–
ME: I would assume the entire Trump family would be very happy to volunteer to transit Hormuz aboard the lead LNG tanker ship. What a way to show some guts!
Those death prediction betting websites Kalshi & Polymarket would be so busy that the entire WWWeb would crash.
Honestly, I can’t wait for collapse. It’ll be interesting. I’ve reached the “I’d rather pull a plow in a rice paddy than open one more Jira ticket” stage of burnout. “Year Zero” is starting to look pretty good.
Yes, it is.